Warhammer 40K: Legacies
by Kalenath Shok-Tan
Summary: I really hated how the game Space Marine ended. THQ was planning two sequels and then they went under. We will likely never see what happens to Captain TItus or that whiny little brat Leandros. Although we can hope for a Space Marine II it likely won't happen. So, this is MY imagining what happens after the events on Graia in Space Marine. Spoilers for Space Marine, DOW I and II.
1. Chapter 1

**Asartes Legacies**

"Begone."

The young Space Marine stared at the guard at the door, his shock evident. He was clad in formal robes instead of the usual power armor and while he carried his bolter slung across his back, only a fool would draw it when both guards at the door stood ready with power weapons in hand. Even in his power armor, he would not have had a chance. Both of these guards were handpicked champions, veterans of hundreds of years of combat. He stood well within their reach and neither was happy to see him.

"I do not understand." The Ultramarine known to some as Leandros simply stood, his jaw slack. "I requested an audience."

"What is to understand, stripling?" The guard on the left asked calmly. "Chapter Master Calgar does not wish to speak with you. His exact words were 'If I see him, he dies.'" At that, Leandros recoiled.

"What did you expect?" The other guard asked snidely. "A _promotion_? You _betrayed_ your captain and your brothers to the Inquisition. You cost us Titus. Be _very_ glad you are a full battle brother or you might have been sent to the Master of Servitors as punishment for such an act of faithlessness." To be turned into a cyborg to serve as a menial laborer for the rest of his existence... Leandros swallowed hard. Such a horror was unthinkable.

"I did as the Codex demanded." Leandros snapped.

"No." The first speaker retorted. "You were afraid."

"I _know_ no fear!" Leandros snapped, his hand now on the grip of his boltgun. Neither of the others as much as flinched as he slowly released it. Even here, even now, he was still a battle brother and was allowed to carry weapons. He wondered at times if it was to give others an excuse to shoot.

"We have seen the transcripts of what happened on Graia." The other guards said firmly. "Whether you were afraid or not is immaterial. _You_ chose to betray your brother captain to the Inquisition. Do _not_ expect trust from any of us or _any_ kind of leniency from the Chapter Master. You have your orders. Begone." The guard repeated.

Leandros stared at the two armored guards and then turned and walked away. He jerked as he saw a form in red power armor striding towards the door he had just been barred from. He turned and stared as the power armored Space Marine nodded to the two guards and they let him pass. The bewildered Ultramarine shook his head and started for the armory. He had a lot of work to do and a long time to do it. Ordinarily, a servitor would be tasked to clean the weapons that had been stored in the Ultramarine's armory since time immemorial. Some of those weapons hadn't been touched in millennia. He had no idea what a Vulkite Culverin was for or how it worked, but he had been tasked to make it functional and none of the Chapter's Techmarines would help him at all. That was merely the first of thousands of weapons that he had been detailed to refurbish. The list was two hundred _pages_ long. Such menial work for a Space Marine was demeaning in the extreme.

Leandros was an Ultramarine. He would obey orders, no matter how they rankled. He still felt he had done the right thing, but no one else believed that. Maybe... Maybe he needed time to think.

He had plenty.

* * *

"I never expected to see you again, Captain Diomedes." The Chapter Master of the Ultramarines was cool and considered. He was both a peerless warrior and a matchless statesman in one. His armor even now bore the scars of honorable combat against the foes of the Imperium. The red armored Space Marine who stood before him nodded.

The Blood Ravens were not what they had been. For a long time, they had been as secretive or more so than even the Dark Angels who _defined_ the word. They still had secrets, but then again, _every_ Space Marine Chapter did. Now however, they had stepped out into the light. They had submitted to review by a number of authorities, including an embassy of Ultramarines. The fervor that had cleansed their ranks from the taint of the Ruinous Powers had been extreme but needed. Now? They were free of corruption for the moment, but many eyes would be watching.

"I know, but I had to say this. You were right." The red armored Space Marine shook his head. "I was wrong. Pride can blind any of us, but it took me completely. I give apology to you and your Chapter for insults given. For my blindness. For my arrogance and stupidity. I am just glad my flaws did not cost you as much as they cost _me_. Speak your sentence and I shall abide by it. We wronged you. We owe you." Such an admission hurt, that was clear to anyone with eyes. Marneus Calgar stared at the red armored form and then nodded.

"We all make mistakes, Captain Diomedes. You fought honestly and believed honestly. You were less than diplomatic, but your faith and honor was never in question. Anyone can be misled." The Chapter Master of the Ultramarines said after a moment. "You came all the way to _Maccragge_ simply to apologize?" He didn't bother to keep the disbelief from his voice.

"Chapter Master Angelos has been loud about fixing things when we can." Blood Ravens Honor Guard Captain Apollo Diomedes said with a sigh. "Many things we did under the previous chapter master can never be fixed. We may never know the exact cost of Kyras' deceptions but what we _can_ fix, we _must_. We caused strife between chapters. We cannot always trust the Imperium, but we _have_ to trust our brothers in arms."

"Don't tell the Dark Angels that." Calgar said with a snort that Diomedes shared after a moment.

"I am not _that_ stupid nor arrogant anymore." Diomedes agreed. "But the apology was only the official reason that I am here."

"And unofficial?" Calgar asked carefully.

"Squad Corvus was with the Liberation Fleet that was sent to Graia." Diomedes said softly. "We know what happened." Calgar tensed and Apollo raised a placating hand. "What is between your battle brothers is between _them_. We have no right to interfere in your chapter's politics nor would we wish to. We have enough trouble with our own. We have opinions of course. Everyone does, but we also have our duty to Emperor and Imperium."

Both Space Marines bowed their heads. It wasn't a religion, per say. Space Marines did not hold to the common Imperium belief of the Emperor as a god. They _knew_ better. He hadn't been mortal and he hadn't really been human in most regards. He had created the Primarchs who had then fathered the Adeptas Asartes. Things had gotten complicated when many of said Primarchs and their legions had turned against the Emperor, but all Space Marines knew who they owed their very existence to.

"That we do." Calgar agreed when both raised their heads. "So... what?"

"Inquisitor Thrax is known to us." The Captain of the Blood Raven Honor Guard said firmly. Calgar stiffened and Dimoedes nodded. "We believe he is Radical."

"Oh, not _again_..." Calgar actually raised a hand to his face at that as Diomedes nodded.

The very _thought_ of using some powers to fight darker powers was _anathema_ to any right thinking Space Marine. It wasn't a matter of religion either. It was common _sense_. Some things just were too dangerous to _play_ with. Unfortunately, not everyone thought that way. The Radical movement in the Inquisition seemed to think that the end always justified the means, even when it led to worse things eventually. Not much else was known about them. The Inquisition hid their secrets well. Still, the messes they left in their wakes were equal to some Adeptas Asartes assaults on occasion. Space Marines had been called into clean up a number of such messes. It was _never_ pretty.

"We have no proof. We do not know what he is planning. We do not know that he is doing what his peers have." Diomedes said flatly. "But Captain Titus showed a resistance to Warp energies." Calgar stiffened again and Diomedes nodded. "Your battle brother Leandros was not quiet in his denunciations. The ranking Imperial Guard officer survivor, one Lieutenant Mira, was far more circumspect, but she tried to protest through channels. She vanished two weeks later." Calgar's eyes narrowed and Diomedes nodded. "According to records, an Inquisition ship left the system eight hours after that."

"From everything that I have seen of the records, that young lieutenant was a hero. All of her commanders were killed and her force was in tatters. Most Imperial Guard would have fled or died where they stood. She rallied her men and fought. Fought smart and fought hard. A credit to the Imperial Guard." Calgar said flatly. "She and her men stood against the whole Ork horde until Captain Titus' forces arrived." Diomedes nodded. "And even when the Traitor Legions struck, she held her men together. I know for a fact that her High Command was going to decorate her." Diomedes nodded again.

"Human she may be, but she _is_ a credit to the Imperial Guard indeed." Diomedes agreed. "The Guard that I have spoken to about this are all in agreement. She was to be decorated and promoted. We do not know what happened to her, but we can guess."

"She was connected to Titus. So, you think this Inquisitor -Thrax- took her." Calgar looked as if he wanted to spit for a moment. "Titus surrendered to the Inquisitor to keep her men and his brothers from facing Inquisitorial wrath. If they took her..." He trailed off.

"Then the Inquisitor abrogated his oath and _nothing_ he said can be trusted." Diomedes finished the thought. "We need to know what happened to her and Titus. The Blood Ravens stand ready to assist in any way we can." Calgar stared at him, apparently dumbfounded by such a declaration. "We have not always been comfortable allies, Chapter Master Calgar." _Understatement of the millennia..._ Diomedes carefully did _not_ say. He _personally_ had called the chapter the 'Ultrasmurfs' a few times. Something he regretted now. "But we _are_ Adeptas Asartes. We stand against the darkness in defense of the Imperium. If this Inquisitor took your captain, it cannot be for the good of the Imperium."

"We do not know that." Calgar frowned a little. "Titus was one of our best but even then, if there _is_ doubt..." He trailed off as Diomedes shook his head. "What?"

"We are not ambivalent in this, Chapter Master." Diomedes said softly. "We lost one of our own and are seeking him as well. We believe Thrax may know his whereabouts." Calgar waved for him to continue and Diomedes took a moment to gather his thoughts. "What do you know of the Aurelian Crusade?"

"An attack by Orks and then Tyranids. Eldar were involved." Calgar replied instantly. "Your chapter stopped them, but there were repercussions. The Ruinous Powers came later. The Ordo Malleus moved in but then was called off." Odd that, but Calgar had seen odder in his career.

"Yes." Diomedes looked away and was that shame on his face? It _was!_ "The second phase was not our finest hour. But the first part... That _was_." Calgar did not interrupt and the commander of the Blood Raven Honor Guard spoke again. "Whatever you have been told is incomplete. When the Orks were pushed to attack the sector by the Eldar, we had one strike cruiser with half a company in the sector. Two escort frigates. That was all." Calgar stared at him and Diomedes nodded. "Three squads of battle brothers. One squad of scouts. Led by the youngest Force Commander in our chapter's history."

" _Half a company?_ " Calgar breathed. "They are a credit to your chapter."

"Them. Yes." Diomedes said sadly. "Not _all_ of us." Calgar shook his head and Diomedes shook his. "What I am about to relate is virtually unknown outside of our chapter. When the Tyranids were defeated, the hive fleet splintered as they do." Calgar nodded. His chapter knew that enemy very well. "The Black Legion took advantage of the unsettled times to invade." Calgar nodded, he had known that. "What no one knows but us and now _you_ is that Kyras had ties to the Black Legion." Calgar stiffened and Diomedes nodded. Such a thing was an affront to _everything_ the Adeptas Asartes stood for. A chapter master of Space Marines working _with_ the Ruinous Powers? Things started to make sense to Calgar that hadn't. No _wonder_ the Inquisition had looked so closely at the Blood Ravens after such a mess. The Inquisition would not have hesitated to brand them all traitors if they had found _any_ trace of further taint. Diomedes nodded as Calgar frowned in understanding. "We do not know how long or what form those ties took completely, but he spread the taint thoroughly through our brothers. When we discovered this, we acted. We serve the Emperor, not traitors."

"That will be hard to prove." Calgar was noncommittal.

"Agreed. We have purged our ranks severely, but now we have recovered." Diomedes said flatly. "Hence my mission here. I offer our assistance to the Ultramarines chapter to seek out this Inquisitor and determine what he is doing to your captain. If he is using powers that should not be used, we can notify the Inquisition."

"And what will _they_ do?" Calgar demanded angrily. "Deny it? Cover it up? Sometimes I think Logan Grimnar has the right approach in dealing with those snakes." He shook his head. "Don't repeat that."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Diomedes said with a shrug. "Even if it is a horrific insult to _snakes_." Calgar shook his head again. "Thing is, the force commander who led the Aurelian Crusade was lost to us. We seek him and believe the one who took your captain may have answers as to where our lost brother may be."

"What is his name?" Calgar asked. "The force commander?" He froze as sorrow crossed Diomedes' face. "Captain?"

"I do not remember." The Blood Raven said sadly. "I can see his face. I can hear his voice. But Kyras erased his name from our minds. From all of our records. He fought with honor and upheld the Emperor's Light. He stood _me_ off even when I was blinded by my pride and I _cannot_ remember his _name!_ " This last was almost a shout.

"The whole _chapter_?" The master of the Ultramarines seemed horrified. Diomedes nodded. "I...see."

"The Force Commander fled an order of execution. Or... I do not know. No one does." Diomedes said softly. "When Angelos took his fleet and went for help from the Imperium, the other stayed. He felt his duty was to the rest of us. Kyras ordered him executed." Diomedes scoffed. "Executed for killing a traitor in his midst who was corrupted beyond all hope of redemption. He simply vanished from the Strike Cruiser he had been confined aboard. None of his men knew where he went. Even after Kyras was defeated, when Angelos was elevated to Chapter Master and all who remained pure were exonerated, no one knew how he had escaped. Or _if_ he had."

" _If_?" Calgar queried slowly.

"An Inquisition ship left the subsector that day." Diomedes replied. "None of us thought it amiss. They come and go as they will. There were more than few of them around. But it does seem convenient and Thrax was seen nearby about that time. I was busy hunting the Black Legion."

"That is thin." The Ultramarine Chapter Master sounded deep in thought.

"Agreed." Diomedes shrugged. "We have no other leads. One Inquisitor was determined to prove he had escaped into the Warp, but there was no residue. None of his wargear had any discernible taint."

"It can be insidious." Calgar mused, but then he scoffed. "If _anyone_ knows that, you Blood Ravens do."

"We have been as careful as possible..." Diomodes allowed. "But Chapter Master Angelos wanted me to ask for more oversight." Calgar stared at him and Diomedes nodded. "Yours."

"You _cannot_ be _serious_." It wasn't every day that the Chapter Master of the Ultramarines looked _poleaxed_. " _What_ are you asking?"

"We want a closer relationship with the Ultramarines." Diomedes said softly. "This goes against the grain." Calgar nodded, but remained silent. "But we _cannot_ allow what happened to happen again. We have to be more open, but... There must be limits. We bear secrets that _must_ remain secret. Every chapter does." Calgar nodded soberly but did not interrupt. "Our secrets nearly cost us everything and Gabriel thinks we need more oversight. Oversight we can trust."

"His words?" The master of the Ultramarines asked carefully. The Blood Raven nodded. "I see."

"Only a fool doubts Ultramarine honor." Diomedes said softly. "I have _been_ a fool, but not in this. Gabriel is correct. We need more eyes on this. We need to be _absolutely_ sure the taint is gone."

"You are proposing an alliance?" Calgar asked, his thoughts obviously moving quickly. "Between the Ultramarines and the Blood Ravens? Or more?"

Chapters did _not_ merge unless calamity befell them, calamity so severe that said chapter could not recover. To even contemplate such without such a calamity was well nigh unthinkable. Then again, wasn't that one thing the Blood Ravens did very well? The unthinkable?

"For now, Gabriel thinks joint training will suffice." Diomedes replied. "As for the future? None can say except maybe the Emperor. Gabriel wants a closer relationship and I cannot blame him. We have been under strength for so long it almost seemed proper. But it is not. We adhere to the Codex and we will prove it."

"This is not something for me to decide on whim." Calgar said flatly. Diomedes nodded. "I will think on this but for now... What did Angelos have in mind for joint training?"

"A hunt." Diomedes said with a smile that was less friendly, but not directed at Calgar.

"Thrax?" Calgar asked softly and then he nodded as Diomedes inclined his head. "If he took your Force Commander as well as our captain... Yes. I can see that. We have _many_ questions for him."

"Then let us go get some answers." Diomedes paused. "Carefully."

"Oh, come now." Calgar actually laughed. "This is an _Inquisitor_ we are talking about. If he _is_ taking our brothers, then we need to know why. If he has good reason, then let him speak it. If not... Then _we_ will speak with _him_." There was little doubt as to _how_ the Ultramarine meant that. "You have personnel here?"

"The Heroes of Tython asked to seek their commander." Diomedes replied. "Gabriel said 'yes'."

" _All_ of them?" Calgar asked dubiously.

"Captain Thule is in command, but Sergeants Tarkus, Thaddeus and Cyrus came with me." Diomedes smiled a bit grimly. "Techmarine Martellus came along. They are on one of the escorts that accompanied the Retribution here." He shook his head. "Not many of the others are left, but those who are, came. We need to know our brother's fate."

"As do we."


	2. Chapter 2

**Pain**

Everything hurt.

Every single fiber of her being was on fire. She was being burned alive in this whatever it was. She tried to scream and could not. She tried to fight and she could not. She tried to curl up and let the pain course by her and she could not. It flowed through and around-

No! She would not give in! She would _never_ give in! She was a soldier of the Emperor! She would not surrender! No pain could break her!

It stopped.

Her skin was burning. _She_ was burning. Every muscle, every nerve was on fire. But she was lying on something hard and something cool was being poured over her. The shock made her gasp and then something was holding her hand gently as she sobbed.

"It is all right." The voice in her ear was female, kind. The woman was speaking high Gothic, but...the accent was not one she knew. Was it? She couldn't bring anything to mind. Something was rubbing her... her bare skull? Where was her _hair_? What was going on? "The Emperor protects and he protected you. You are going to be all right."

She took those kind words into a painless slumber.

* * *

"Report." The tone of the person speaking was not quite polite, but no one blamed him. He was in charge of the military forces in the area. Not a light burden at the best of times, which these were not.

"The human is alive although I am not sure why." The medical professional turned to his screen and touched it on. A grunt came from the other and the medic shook his head. "My special assistant says it was the Emperor's will she lived."

"Considering where we _found_ this one..." The other said with a snap. "...I _highly_ doubt that. I have to admit though. She is one tough gue'la to have survived that." He turned and the red circle within a 'T' symbol on his rectangular shoulder armor was clear.

"Shas'vre, that is an insult and demeans us as much as her." The medic chided the other gently. "Yes, she is not of us. But she _can_ be. What do we know of her?"

"She is of the Gue'la Imperial Guard." The armored form was scrutinizing the holo that showed their latest patient. "She is not weak willed or she would have perished in that machine. The engineers did not think she would survive being removed or until arrival at your medical facility. That in and of itself is a minor miracle."

"More than you know, Shas'vre." The medic said quietly. The other turned to scrutinize him and the medic nodded. "She was implanted with a biological weapon. The trigger failed. It was designed to attack _us_."

"Is the weapon disabled?" The other demanded. He relaxed a little when the medic nodded. "Can you remove it?"

"We have." The medic reassured the soldier. "It is being analyzed now. My assistant says it seems too straightforward for those sorts though. We are scanning her for more oddities now."

"A trap." The armored form said slowly. The medic nodded. "For _us_. No wonder the ship was deserted. What else can you tell me?"

"Not much." The medic said with sigh. "There was no identification with her and with the brain injuries... She may or may not be cogent when she wakes." Both of the watchers turned back to scrutinize the sleeping human on the screen. She wore the usual blue gown for patients and a covering shielded her eyes from the light of the room. Restraints were not needed at the moment, she wouldn't be capable fo _movement_ for a time, let alone _conflict_. "All we can do is wait now."

"We will be arriving in a matter of hours, medic." The team leader said quietly. "Will your people be ready?"

"The Earth Caste stands ready, Shas'vre." The medic clasped a three fingered hand to his chest. "We will spread the Greater Good."

"The Ethereals tried once here." The armored form said absently. "They failed, but through no fault of their own apparently. They were simply overmatched. Such can happen to anyone. Even Commander O'shavah is not omniscient."

"No." The medic agreed. "But he is closer than anyone else." His grin was wide and the armored form shared it. "The Ethereals never expected _us_ to come back here, did they?"

"No." The commander said with a shrug. "They lost a great deal here. They will amass a much stronger expedition and take much longer to come here again. By then? We will have entrenched ourselves."

"The base, sir?" The medic asked. "I had a distant relative who served here. She didn't make it out. Our family would want me to look in my free time."

"After all this time, it is highly unlikely that anything will be left." The other's tone was milder now. "The 'humans'-" He enunciated the word heavily and the medic smiled a little. "-tend to destroy anything they think might be impure. Having seen some of the other enemies they fight, I cannot say that such caution is unwarranted. If brutal." He shook his head. "After we get settled in and the defenses are set, I can authorize such expeditions. But.." He held up a hand as the tech smiled. "Not alone. We have no idea at all what trap might have been left. From what I understand the base switched hands several times in the fighting after Sha'so Or'Es'ka was pushed out."

"Bloody butchers." The tech said softly, his gaze far away.

"For now, focus on your tasks, Fio'El Ke'lshan Torom." The officer said quietly. "We will have time to mourn our losses when the base is up and running again. But this time, we will see the defenses secured _first_."

"As ordered, Shas'vre." The tech nodded in the proper way of a subordinate dismissed to duties before turning back to his consoles. "I will keep you updated on the human's condition." The other left wit6hout comment and the med tech turned to another console. "Sister Agatha? How is our guest?"

"She woke for a moment, but then fell unconscious again, Fio'El. The fluid soothed her as we suspected it would. A small mercy, but a kind one." The voice was human and the form that appeared from nearby was as the voice supposed. She wore ornamental robes that were not -quite- Tau in design and her ornamentation was anything but Tau. Ordinarily, such would not be permitted at all, but she was a special case in a number of ways. Her scarred face was solemn as she turned her blind eyes from one side to the other. One thing he liked about her, she never let her lack of sight slow her down even if she did refuse the tech that could in all likelihood let her see again. She was odd that way, but no one doubted her integrity or devotion to her duty. "I never expected to return here. Certainly not like _this_."

"We are not here to fight, Sister." The Fio'El said quietly. "The base we will build here is here to gather information. Nothing more."

"It is never that simple, Fio'El." The woman said with a frown as she turned back to the room she had come from. "Part of me truly wishes I had died that day, but that would have been betraying the Emperor. I failed my duty to my sisters, but I survived and spread the Emperor's light as best I can in my darkness."

"If more of your kind believed as you do, there would be a lot less strife in the universe." The other said with a sigh. "But as it is? I am glad to have you here. The others have questioned, but your compassion and skill are wonders to behold."

"You are kind to an old blind Gue'la, Fio'El." The human said sadly. "I know my place and it was to be a slave and then a lab rat." The medic stiffened and she shook her head. "I know that you of the Enclaves do not feel the same as the ones who took me in the raid on Kaurava IIIs moon. Otherwise, you would not have rescued me from their lab, treated my wounds, tended me through my infirmity. But your leaders want something I cannot give. I cannot give you my faith. I cannot show you how what was done happened. I cannot."

" _I_ do not want that, Sister Agatha." The other said quietly. "I asked for you on this expedition because I know we will encounter other humans. With you, there is a chance at discourse. Without? There is none. The Water Caste seeks communication and..." He broke off as the sister grimaced. "Sister?"

"They will not talk to you." Agatha said sadly. "The only communication any of the Guard will be allowed is from the barrel of a lasgun. Our guest would have better luck talking to them than I would after what happened with my sisters here. I missed that, being captured by the Dark Eldar. If I am very lucky, they will simply shoot me. If not?" She shivered. "Your philosophy has much to recommend it. I can see the Emperor perhaps agreeing. But the Imperial Guard _will not._ "

"Sister... If you could go back to who you were before, would you?"

"That woman no longer exists, Fio'El." Agatha said flatly. "If she did... She would be horrified by what I have become." Whatever the other was going to say was cut off by a cry. The medic spun to see the human woman writhing on her bed but Sister Agatha was already in motion.

"Be careful!" He snapped even as he ordered a new set of scans and a drone with some specialized equipment. The woman shouldn't have woken so soon. Something was very wrong here.

Agatha swallowed as she entered the room. She couldn't see the other, but the sister could smell her. Without sight, her other senses took on new meaning, honed far beyond human norms by necessity. She could still smell the scorched flesh. The techs assured her it was only the outer layers of the woman's skin and it was healing quickly with the medical skill of the Earth Caste but the smell remained and only years of discipline coupled with her devotion to aiding those less fortunate allowed her to keep her composure and her stomach contents. The other was moaning, but it sounded odd.

"Is she awake?" Agatha asked.

"I am not sure." The med tech replied, concerned. "Her brain scans are erratic. She may be having a seizure."

"Or something far worse." Agatha said with a snarl even as her hand dropped to her side and she felt the door close behind her, equalizing the pressure in the room. "Tech, do not quibble with me on this. If she... _alters_ from human in any way, vent the compartment." A gasp sounded but she was in motion. "It would be a far kinder death for me -and her!- than many." She felt the edge of the bed and reached out to the moaning woman. "Easy, easy..."

She heard words and felt fear rise, but relaxed as she realized the woman was speaking Gothic. If she had been speaking something else, Agatha probably would have strangled her as she lay. Again, far kinder. But then Agatha gasped in recognition. The woman was praying! Praying to the Emperor for deliverance.

"It is all right." Agatha said softly as she reached out to touch the seared flesh with gentle fingers. "You are not alone. The Emperor has delivered you. You are in pain from your burns and nothing we do can ease that quickly, but we will tend you. Easy..." She crooned, unsure if anything she was saying was getting through.

"I... What?" The woman sounded awful but strength beyond normal for humans resonated deep inside it.

"What is your name, Dear?" Agatha asked. "Mine is Agatha. I am here to help. I cannot wave my hands and magically make your pain vanish, but I can be here with you, share your time if nothing else."

"Mira. My name is Mira." The woman said after a moment, her voice steadying. "Did Titus make it?"

"You were the only one we found." Agatha filed the name 'Titus' away for future consideration. Right now, she had a pressing concern. "You need to rest, child. You are badly hurt. While we did what we could, it will take time to heal."

"This isn't an Imperum ship, is it?" Mira asked, her tone suddenly flat. "I can't see, but I can hear and what I hear isn't like any Imperium ship I have ever been on."

"I won't lie to you." Agatha said quietly. "It isn't an Imperium ship." Mira seemed to shiver under Agatha's hand. She brushed the skin she could feel. "You were found on a small ship. It had seen hard fighting, but you were the only one aboard and you were inside some kind of evil machine."

"What?" Mira could not possibly be faking the sense of confusion, fear and consternation that Agatha could both hear in her voice and feel in her fingertips.

"Removing you from the machine was difficult, especially since you had been implanted with a nasty biological weapon that would have triggered if any of the other crew had touched you." Agatha said softly. "Luckily, I was here. They detected it and while I can't see, I can obey simple instructions fairly well."

"Why can't _you_ see?" Mira asked, suspicion rising. " _Why_ can't _I_ see?"

"In reverse order..." Agatha kept her voice calm despite the old, old pain that surged through her empty eye sockets. "You cannot see because the medics covered your eyes. We fear that what burned you may have damaged them as well even though you wore a breather helmet in the machine. We don't know yet so, it is a precaution. As for myself? I lost my eyes along with my world." Agatha turned away from the other for a moment, the pain surging in her. "For the Dark Eldars, it was sport, you see. When they caught someone who could resist, they took their time. What they did to me, broke me. It took years for me to bring myself back to see the Emperor's light. It was always there and I can see it even without eyes."

" _Sister_." Mira breathed and Agatha smiled a little.

"Once." Agatha corrected. "Now? I am an adjunct to healers. I serve as an ambassador of sorts. I bring the Emperor's light into dark places just as I did in the Sororitas, if a trifle less violently."

"And yet, you work with xenos like the ones who took your eyes." Mira couldn't wrap her mind around that. Such was clear from her tone.

"These are not the ones who took my eyes." Agatha said quietly. "These are the ones who rescued me from those. Who healed my wounds, cared for me in my weakness and never _once_ demanded that I forsake the Emperor." She heaved a sigh. "I didn't understand at first. Not for a long time. I tried to die, several times. They didn't stop me, Mira. Something else did. I am not sure what, but I have suspicions. Then I met their leader and everything changed for me."

"Would they stop me?" Mira asked and Agatha felt a rock form in her stomach.

"No." Agatha admitted. "Their philosophy is that every life is precious but also that every being has a right to choose for such. Not all adhere to the same truths any more than all _humans_ do. But they are remarkably coherent from what I have encountered. Far less alien than some I encountered in my previous life. If you are calm and in control when you choose such, they will not gainsay it. I wasn't." She said with a sad smile of memory. "It took Commander Oshavah himself to shake me out of my depression in its entirety. But he is... something." She shook her head. "No one I have ever met, barring the canoness of my order who I heard preach once, had the same level of..." She paused. "I don't know how to describe it. Charisma maybe? A feeling of knowing your place and accepting it? It wasn't mind control. It wasn't drugs. I knew those feelings from my time as a battle sister. He just accepted me as I was. He did not ask or command me to change, just asked me what _I_ wanted." She laugh a little. "I had no idea. Still don't, to tell you the truth. But I enjoy healing, helping others. That hasn't changed since I was a novice."

"So... You are with them?" Mira said slowly.

"Mira, what _use_ is a blind Sororitas?" Agatha asked softly. "One who failed to martyr herself when given the chance? I live, therefore the Emperor still has need of me. Somehow. Some way. I have to believe that. I still spread the Emperor's light, just not from a flamer anymore."

"I can't believe you." Mira said softly, turning her head under Agatha's hand. "I can't!"

"No one is forcing you to." Agatha said with a frown. "And no one will. _We_ are not the Ethereals. We do not have the wherewithal nor the inclination to force others into our midst. Some of what we do is troubling, but we are focused on surviving, Mira. And right now, that _has_ to be your focus. You have to recover from your injuries. Don't give in, Mira. The Emperor _is_ with you. I am with you. You are not alone. Right now, though... You need rest to recover. So, sleep."

She brought her other hand up and laid the mask in it over Mira's nose and mouth. The woman gave a small moan and fell asleep.

"Rest well, soldier." Agatha said softly as she brushed Mira's head where hair would have been. Then she jumped as an alarm blared. She ran for the door, but the medic's voice sounded from an intercom.

"Stay there." The medic declared. "You are safer in there. We just went to battle alert. We have detected enemy ships at the edge of the system. Not Imperial."

"Who then?" Agatha felt fear rise and quieted it with a prayer.

"Orks."


	3. Chapter 3

**Green? Best? HA!**

Space is big. It had been said many times by many people, but the sheer size of interstellar distances were incomprehensible to most. The vast distances and small number of viable destinations allowed for a great deal of freedom in choosing where and how to approach star systems. Travel in the warp, while hazardous, made a mockery of interstellar distances. It was _exceptionally_ dangerous to travel through and most would think twice about any long duration trip through the dimension that housed all kinds of nasty psychic and demonic forces just waiting to pounce on the unsuspecting. Most.

Orks didn't usually go for the whole silly 'navigation' thing that others demanded to travel in the Warp. The way they saw it, if they got somewhere, that was good. If they didn't? It was still good because the Warp would spawn things for them to fight while stuck in it and there was _nothing_ that Orks liked more than a good fight.

The Tau abhorred violence as a race. They found it an inefficient use of resources that could be much better used elsewhere. That said, they were not stupid and had encountered Orks far too many times to count. They knew their enemies well. Orks, while often cunning, had two basic plans in space. Charge to get close enough to ram or board and charge faster to get close enough to ram and board. Their marksmanship was pathetic to say the least, but when one was suddenly swamped by a few hundred -or _thousand_!- greenskins in the confines of a spacecraft, pinpoint marksmanship was often counterproductive. While you shot one in the head, three or four more got close enough to gut you with their brutal Choppas. Quantity had a quality all of its own when dealing with greenskins and the Tau had learned their lessons well.

A BattleKroozer, four Kroozers, a Terror ship and twelve escorts of various kinds turned to charge the outnumbered Tau fleet that had surprised them as the greenskins leisurely approached the system in search of loot. Even as the Orks were turning, the Tau ships were moving gracefully apart, their unified command structure splitting them up to be less attractive targets for unpredictable Ork ordnance while opening their own lanes of fire.

The lead Tau ship, the Hero class cruiser Shas Kauyon, was the first to empty her missile tubes. Two of the remaining three line ships in the Tau fleet did likewise. The Gal'Leath class flagship Mesme Kai, not to be outdone, fired and then quickly reloaded her eight missile tubes faster than any of her cohorts. Her crew -heavily augmented with Fire Warriors- had been spoiling for a fight this whole trip with nothing to do but drill and train. The Lar'shi'vre Class Cruiser Lur'tae'mont, of the type codenamed **'** Protector' by the Imperial Navy, was a far newer design. Her fire, while lesser in magnitude than the massive flagship's, was far better targeted. The other ship in the Tau line bided her time. Il'Fannor class starships did not normally carry gravitic launchers for ordnance and the La Eur'ii was no different. She had been laid down as a trader, not a warship and on this trip, she was packed with troops and gear for the base. With any luck, this battle would be decided before the enemy reached beam range because as old as she was, she had little chance in a direct conflict with an Ork ship of similar size. She would focus on any escorts that entered her zone, hopefully burning them down before they reached ramming distance. The five Orcas and one Messenger gunship that had been carried into the system on the gravitic hooks of the Shas Kauyon and the Mesme Kai, spread out even as Manta bombers and Barracuda fighters left launch bays. Outnumbered the Tau might be, they generally _were_ against Orks. _Outclassed_?

Nah.

The Battlekroozer took no less than _eight_ hits from the missile swarms and simply broke up even before the Mesme Kai's second salvo reached the onrushing greenskins. To the observers, it seemed as if the Ork point defense hadn't even _tried_. Then again, maybe they _had_. It didn't really make a lot of difference. Ork gunnery was nothing to be proud of. Before the Orks had managed to even halve the range, the Tau ships each got another salvo off, the Mesme Kai two again.

Before the Orks had closed the distance to a third, almost three quarters of their force was helplessly adrift or floating wreckage. The Terror Ship broke into three sections, two still firing, but none capable of movement. Two of the Kroozers were blown to pieces, the other two were battered almost to wrecks and three escorts had caught missiles as well, simply evaporating in the sheer power of the Tau ordnance. But then they were close enough and the odds shifted. No less than _six_ Brute ram ships lit their massive thrusters and darted towards the Tau force, bent on slamming their crude but strong vessels into the hulls of enemy ships to deposit Ork warriors. That is, _if_ they were lucky. If not? They would smear themselves _and_ their cargos over shields and hull armor. The two remaining cruisers and three escorts closed with an almost anticipatory glee as the brutes closed the gap. But the Tau had come prepared for such. The denizens of the Farsight Enclaves knew Orks had been here and they knew how to fight Orks.

In a maneuver that Elder or Dark Elder ships might have managed if caught flatfooted -no one else- the fleet of Tau vessels split up further. Each shifted their course and speed to throw off the ramming attacks. Five of the ram ships flew right through the Tau formation, hitting nothing but drawing the fire of every Tau ship. The sixth, through sheer luck or some insane Ork god laughing, managed to slam full into the bow of the Shas Kauyon. This was what they had intended, but it didn't work so well for them. Tau ships all had a powerful deflector shield that pointed towards the front of the ship. The crew of the Shas Kauyon didn't even feel a bump as the ram ship vaporized against the energy barrier.

Now however, the _Ork's_ strengths came into play. The two remaining Kroozers, battered as they were, still had a lot of firepower that they sent at the closest Tau ships, two Orca escorts and the La Eur'ii even as shoals of torpedoes arced from each. It was impossible to tell at a glance which ones had ordnance and which ones held Ork warriors. Both would be equally dangerous. The remaining escorts also charged, each trying for a ramming course on a different Tau ship. If they could ram or just get Tau shields to drop, Tellyportas on each Kroozer would send hordes of Ork warriors into the corridors of the Tau vessels. That could be very bad for the Tau.

But again, it had been planned for. The Lur'tae'mont shifted position, swatting an Onslaught gunship out of space with an almost negligent blast of railgun and ion cannon fire. Her bow turned to the two Kroozers and her tubes erupted once more. At this range, point defense was _irrelevant_. Both Kroozers staggered in space, one vomiting air and debris as secondary explosions shook it. The Shas Kauyon, the Mesme Kai and the La Eur'ii all poured fire into the Kroozers from ion cannon and railguns at a range where missing was simply impossible. No Ork ship ever _built_ could stand up to such a Tau barrage for long and both of the Kroozers exploded in quick succession. The three remaining Ork escorts scattered as the cowardly greenskins _did_ when faced with enemies they could not possibly prevail against, but the _Tau_ escorts took exception to that.

Even as Manta gunships moved to finish off both Kroozers and check each wreck for signs of life, four of the five Orcas took off after the three fleeing Ork ships. The other Orca remained with the Messenger as close escort against the Ork torpedoes that were even now trying to seek and detonate or bore their way into Tau hulls. The Orks split up, each ship going a different direction and two Orcas pursued two of them. The third, seeing itself suddenly free from pursuit, seemed to hesitate. Then they piled on even more speed. Too late. The Shas Kauyon fired two missiles that caught up with the fleeing Ork before it had gone a hundred kilometers. Only two, but no more were needed. Technically, one probably would have sufficed, but no one trusted a single weapon to do a job. Even as the glare of the detonation flared and vanished, both sets of pursuing escorts scored hits on the remaining Ork ships and just like that, the battle was over.

All of the Tau ships had taken damage, but none of them had boarders. Which was good. Teams of Fire Warriors in XV-8 Crisis suits moved to check the hulls of each ship, making sure none of the Orks who had been blown clear of the wrecks managed against all odds to grab hold of something as they sailed past. Orks needed oxygen to survive, but the spores that they came from did not. Ork bodies had been dreadful surprises to Tau in the past and they had learned. Two of the Orcas had taken hull damage and the La Eur'ii had several breaches. The aged ship was on her last voyage and everyone knew it. She had served well and bravely for several centuries, but technology had passed her by. The Farsight Enclaves did not have the same logistical support that the main Tau Empire did, they relied on what they could produce themselves or occasionally 'borrow' from shipments between sept worlds. The designs for new battlesuits or ships like the Lur'tae'mont came to the Enclaves from various sources, few of them legitimate.

One Ork boarding torpedo managed against all odds to find gap in the point defense coverage and slam into the La Eur'ii, finding a hull breach to spew forth its green tide. Unfortunately for the Orks, said hull breach was in the process of being sealed by a Cadre of Fire Warriors. Only a few of the Fire Warriors were in XV-8 Crisis suits but one of them was in something _else_. After a brief skirmish, the Fire Warriors fell back, the Orks of course pursued and came face to face with the sole XV-104 'Riptide' battlesuit that the expedition boasted. The resulting fight was _very_ brief and left _another_ pair of hull breaches that the Fire Warriors were quick to start sealing.

On reflection, the battle had gone almost completely in the Tau's favor. Eighteen Air Caste Tau were killed including a Manta crews who got a little too close to a piece of wreckage that wasn't _quite_ wreckage until their squadron mates were done with it. Four Fire Warriors perished in the battles and in containing the sole boarding. Sad, to be sure, but nowhere _remotely_ as bad as it _could_ have been. Orks were no joke to fight in close quarters.

The ships formed up again and started for their planned destination, the second of the inhabitable worlds of the Kaurava system and its sole moon. They hoped to make moonfall without being detected. In this, they failed.

They were _not_ unobserved.

* * *

Not far away at all in cosmic terms

The Tau could be excused missing the small ship that they passed on their way into the system. It looked like a piece of space debris. This was totally on purpose. It wasn't capable of long interstellar flights. That wasn't its mission. The owner of the ship had other vessels for that, but none for this. The sole room on it was almost utterly dark except for the hologram that showed the Tau entering the system.

"Well..." The soft voice was utterly devoid of emotion. "It would seem your heretical friend failed. The Tau are coming." There was no answer and the voice heaved a fake sigh. "Come now, Titus, no need to be rude."

"The _only_ heretic I see here is _you_." A deeper voice. It was calm, but rage sang underneath it.

"I defend the Imperium, Titus." The other said silkily. "Do you need another reminder?"

"You can hurt me, but you will not break me." The other replied even as energy sang through the air. A grunt of effort was the only result. "You are a liar and a traitor and I will see you dead!"

"Words are cheap, Titus." The other said with what amounted to glee as the energy hummed louder.

"If you kill him, what does it prove?" Another deep voice sounded.

The lights that had been dim in the room came up in intensity. A table near one wall held a shaking form. It was humanoid, but one glance showed it wasn't human. The male Adeptas Asartes was straining against the metal that held him to the table despite the energy that flowed all around him. A human in power armor marked with Inquisition sigils stood by a control console and another Space Marine, this one in full red armor, stood near one wall, his boltgun aimed at the table.

"His ability to withstand warp energies _has_ to be from the Warp." The inquisitor said with a shake of his head. "Nothing else makes sense." There was no reply from either of the others and he turned to the red armored giant. "We go to Kaurava I. You will need to change your armor."

"No." The Space Marine gave no sign of anger. Indeed, no sign of _any_ emotion.

"Be reasonable." The Inquisitor said with a grunt of displeasure. "After what your Chapter did here..."

"I was not here." The other said calmly. "Captain Boreale was. If my chapter master had been here instead, you know what Kyras would have done when the Governor General attacked."

The Inquisitor paused and then nodded, manifestly against his will. The events on Kaurava had sent ripples through the Imperium. Not only had the Governor General slaughtered most of a company of Space marines, he had also done the same for an expedition of Adeptas Sororitas. Details were vague, but from what had been gathered, the sisters had demanded that Governor General Stubbs surrender himself and his men to Ecclesiarchy review. Such a review would have left few of them alive, no matter their guilt. Stubbs had attacked first before the Sisters had been fully secure in their holding, grinding their defenses into paste beneath the treads of his tanks. Such an attack would only end one way and none of the Sisters had survived it. Maybe. The Inquisition had some odd reports about a possible survivor, but they conflicted as such usually did.

What happened to the Blood Ravens was more clear. They had come chasing a force of Traitor Space Marines. Mistake number one? They had focused their efforts on that, leaving the other squabbling forces to fight amongst themselves. They had obliterated the enemy stronghold, killing the leader -a traitor named Carron- in the process. But doing so had allowed the Orks to assault their base facility. When the Space Marines returned to defend their base, both sides had been devastated by energy blasts from above. No one had paid much mind to the Tau base. Mistake number two. Even as the Blood Ravens had reeled from that, Governor Stubbs had acted. His tanks had torn through the weakened forces of both the Orks and the Space Marines. Only a few Blood Ravens had survived to be sent to Imperial Guard Command for eventual repatriation to their chapter. Only _one_ had escaped.

If the Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens _had_ been present, he likely would have ordered the area bombarded into sterility by orbital cannon. Nothing would have survived. Then he might have ordered an all out assault on the Governor General. Then again, he had secretly been a heretic all along, so...

"If you show up as a Blood Raven, they will take offense." The Inquisitor said flatly.

"Let them."

"You swore to obey my orders." The Inquisitor snapped, patience fleeing.

"I swore to defend the Imperium." The Blood Raven replied. "Not hide my face from murderers and traitors. The Tau, I can see taking advantage. They are xenos, it is what they _do_. The Guard? No. They wanted revenge for Kronus. They got it." There was a minute shrug of massive pauldrons. "Now they have to live with it. Sooner or later, the Chapter _will_ respond. At the very least, they will try to recover Blood Raven gene seed. When that happens, the Governor General better be prepared. Gabriel Angelos is _not_ one to trifle with." He stiffened as the Inquisitor looked thoughtful. "What?"

"Who would the Chapter send?" The Inquisitor asked.

"An apothecary." The Blood Raven said flatly. "I am not one and no, I will not fake being one."

"You are a pain!" The Inquisitor snapped, ire rising. "I saved you. You owe me. If not for me, you would have been executed as a heretic _by_ a heretic."

"The debt is acknowledged." The red armored form replied. "But there _are_ limits." He didn't add anything more. He didn't need to.

Both paused as laughter came from the form on the table.

"So sure of you own saintliness, Inquisitor?" Titus managed between grunts. "What was the quote? 'Those who rule from glass castles should not throw boulders'."

"You will show me your secrets, heretic." The Inquisitor hit a control and Titus' grunts became strained.

"One way or another."

* * *

 _No one_ saw _another_ ship slowly inch away from the scene. A Space Marine craft, a small cruiser. It was not a regular design. Its markings were also not any regular chapter. The badge was a book with a sword through it. Only a few in the Imperium would have recognized the markings. The Inquisitor definitely would have, if he had seen them, but they worked hard so that he would not.

The Grey Knights kept their secrets as well as the Inquisition did if not _better_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Memories of Kaurava**

It was very quiet. He liked the quiet. Loud got people killed in his line of work. He could do any number of tasks in complete silence. Hence the complete breakdown and reassembly he was doing on his sniper rifle while his finally up to full strength squad worked on their own weapons, at the moment bolters and a shotgun. _Their_ tools clinked just a little as they worked. _His_ did not. He eyed them and they focused tighter on their tasks.

Scout Sergeant Cyrus was not a normal Space Marine, if there actually was such a beast. His way of fighting was not to go toe to toe with an overpowering enemy, trusting in armor to keep him safe while he pounded the enemy down. Oh, no. Cyrus' way of fighting was far more subtle. He was a sniper, a sapper, a scout and a spy all in one. He had been an assassin more than once, and his enemies only rarely saw him coming. He had been training scouts for the Blood Ravens chapter for a long time, almost since he had returned from his stint with the Deathwatch.

A small smile graced the grizzled old warrior's features for just a moment before vanishing. The memories of what he had done with that elite group of alien hunters were among his most treasured. They hadn't been _fun_. The Deathwatch were only called in when nothing else would work to solve the problem. They did not care about appearances, about tradition, or about slavish devotion to duty. All they cared about was _results_. Mush like another group he had been affiliated with more recently, come to think of it...

"Cyrus?" A familiar voice brought the scout of out of his reverie and he turned to see the armored form of his fellow sergeant Tarkus appear at the hatch that led out into the bowels of the ship. He checked and to his internal amusement, he had assembled the rifle correctly despite his brief lapse of concentration. Plus one for training. "Captain asked for you."

"Tarkus?" The scout said with a nod as he rose. "Problem?"

"Not that I know of." Tarkus shrugged slightly. "But you, me, Thaddeus _and_ Janus, so... Maybe news." Cyrus frowned slightly but made it vanished before the higher ranked sergeant would have to take notice of it. Tarkus stood by the portal, waiting for the scout who nodded to his team.

"If we have to move, it may be on short notice." Cyrus' words were half muse, half command. But he knew his people would _take_ them as a command. "Check everything." All of the other scouts bent to their tasks with renewed will. He smiled a little at Tarkus as he left the armory, a rare moment of camaraderie. There were few the old scout truly trusted. Tarkus was one of those. "At the very least, everything will work."

"For how _long_?" Tarkus retorted and Cyrus smile a bit more freely. "These waits are the worst."

"Always have been." Cyrus agreed. "Always will be." He glanced around at the adorned corridor they were traversing and shook his head at the emblems. No Blood Ravens markings on _this_ ship. No. "Once the fighting starts, everyone settles down. Until then? We train."

"Yeah." Tarkus led the way to a large door that Cyrus knew led to a vehicle bay. Not a normal place to find a Space Marine captain, but then again, their captain was _anything_ but 'normal'. The huge door with its stylized 'U' slid to the side and the pair of Marine stepped forward into a bay that seemed cavernous.

Tarkus led the way deep into the bay until they reached an area that was set up like a command center. Two other space marines stood there already. One in Blood Raven colors, the other in the blue of the Ultramarines. Cyrus wasn't always sure how to take the Ultramarines, but he had seen Captain Janus' work and knew the man for a consummate professional. It was the other that took and held Cyrus' instant regard.

The form had two legs and two arms like a human, but there the similarities _ended_. The massive machine was gilded with golden battle honors and an iron halo crowned it. None of which mattered to the being encased within and Cyrus knew it.

"Captain Thule." Cyrus nodded as Tarkus did. "You called us here?"

-A message has been received but it is odd.- Cyrus felt a flutter within him at the voice.

Regret? Some sorrow. Pride? Pain. Captain Davian Thule had been one of the greatest commanders that Cyrus had ever served under. The man had been incredible at almost everything he did. What was more, he hadn't had an arrogant bone in his body. Oh, he had possessed pride in his skill and accomplishments, but it hadn't translated to arrogance like in so many other Space Marines that Cyrus had known. He had been devoted to the men under his command, hazarding himself on numerous occasions to keep them safe. In the end, that had cost him. Only heroic efforts on the parts of Cyrus and his team as well as an Apothecary and Techmarine had saved any of the man who had been Captain Davian Thule. Now, he was encased in a Dreadnought and he wasn't letting it slow him down at all. If anything, he was _far_ more dangerous now than he had been in life.

"What is the message, Captain Thule?" Captain Janus wasn't entirely sure about the 'joint training' any more than the Blood Ravens were, but his troops were well trained. The Ultramarines had provided a half company and an associated strike cruiser, _The Winds of Talassar,_ to ferry them on their hunt.

-It is for Sergeant Cyrus.- The Dreadnought turned with everyone to look at the scout who froze. -It is obviously a code. But not one of ours.-

"Who...?" Cyrus cut himself off and shook his head. "Let me hear it."

A static filled voice sounded from one of the consoles. The voice was almost certainly male, but beyond that, nothing else could be ascertained. It spoke three words. "Borealum. What was lost can be found. Eight days. Obligation fulfilled."

"What?" Sergeant Thaddeus started, but froze as Cyrus paled. For the veteran scout to lose control in such a way was _unthinkable_. "Cyrus?"

" _Where did that come from?_ " Cyrus demanded in a tone of iron. " _When?_ "

"It arrived less than an hour ago in our daily data dump." Captain Janus said after a glance at the dreadnought. "It came from Maccragge, but there is no signal origination before that."

"There won't be." Cyrus had his face under control now, but his _eye_... More than one of the watchers looked away from whatever was in the scout's flesh and blood eye. "Captain Thule, I... Code Daedalus."

-Countersign is 'Icarus Rising', Sergeant.- Was the voice from the machine kinder? Cyrus relaxed a little. -Classification is satisfied with only veteran commanders present. Speak.-

"Borealum was our nickname among the 10th Company for the fortress that we created on Kaurava II." Cyrus kept his voice quiet. "We had been pursuing the traitor Carron's warband for almost a year when he went to ground on Kaurava IV. We landed when the Warp Storm was detected. We detected Chaos forces, we engaged."

"I know not this world, Kaurava." Janus said as the other Blood Ravens looked at one another. "I assume whatever happened there was bad?"

"We lost all of the Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, and Ninth Companies, five squads of the Tenth and three squads of the First. We also lost a squad of allies who had shown up for the fight with Chaos. Without _them_ , we might have _all_ perished in that foul place. An entire _Chapter_ might not have been enough." Cyrus said flatly. Janus recoiled a little and Cyrus nodded.

"What _happened_?" Janus asked. Cyrus turned to the dreadnought who motioned with both arms.

-Speak, Sergeant.- Captain Thule said calmly. -That happened is past. There must be no secrets here. It is our shame, not yours. You and yours did everything they could. -

"I still feel it, sir. They were mine. I trained them." The scout felt old pain, old regret. He shunted it aside. "As for what happened, Captain Janus? I don't know it all. I was in the field checking our positions when our base was attacked. Orks had infested the nearby mountains, but Captain Boreale insisted they would not be able to strike with enough force to defeat us before we could hit the Chaos stronghold and level it. He was half right. My scouts did what we could, harried the enemy, slowed them long enough for the main force to return. It cost us though."

"It would." Janus said softly. "And then?"

"The massed force of Blood Ravens met the Orks in the middle of a jungle. Our base had been carved out of the rock above it. A place called 'The Lands of Solitude'." Cyrus said quietly. "I was setting up a shot on a Nob, I remember that. Next thing I know, the world turned bright. When I woke up, most of the jungle was gone. Almost the entire area had been devastated by an strike from a weapon we never saw. It was wide spread, but seemed to have been focused on our landing area. It destroyed our Thunderhawks and our sole orbital relay. Some kind of Tau weapon. They had a base on a moon that Boreale discounted as irrelevant." The last word was harsh. "Just like he said we didn't need backup communications."

"He left _two_ intact enemies _behind_ him while he struck at the Chaos fortifications?" Janus asked, dumbfounded. Cyrus nodded savagely. "Did he harry them at _all_?"

"He didn't feel the _need_ , sir." Cyrus said with a growl. "They were fighting each other. He felt they would keep each other busy while we finished off the traitors." He didn't say any more, but his tone spoke volumes.

"I hate to speak ill of the dead, Sergeant..." Janus said with a grunt. "But that was _stupid_. Not to _mention_ against the Codex." Tarkus and Thaddeus nodded at that.

"You are not saying anything I didn't, sir." Cyrus said flatly. He took a deep breath and continued. "After the blast... Few of my brothers were capable of fighting at peak after that and we had no way to evacuate with our transports and communications destroyed. We expected the Tau to come. They didn't. Instead, the Guard came."

"The Guard?"Janus asked carefully. He had been briefed on the Blood Raven's less than stellar history with the Imperial Guard. Cyrus nodded. "And they..."

"Killed everyone they found, sir. Wounded, hale, armed, unarmed, apothecaries collecting geneseed, if the Guard saw power armor, they shot at it. Often with heavy artillery. I personally saw a squad call in a missile strike on a _single_ wounded scout." Cyrus said softly. "They tore the Orks apart too, but the greenskins had lost a lot more than we had. I found out later, they did take some prisoners but the Guard killed Captain Boreale and almost all of the other survivors of the Tau bombardment. They encircled and blew my brothers' final positions to pieces with long range artillery. It worked." Cyrus said sadly. "Boreale hadn't wanted to dig in. He felt mobility was more important. In end, that is what killed him. Lack of preparation and nowhere to seek cover when the big guns started firing."

"By the Emperor..." Janus inhaled. "You have my condolences on the loss of your brothers, Sergeant. Such is never easy."

"No." Cyrus agreed. "Anyway... I argued with him, but he was in command. Others felt as I did, but we were all Space Marines. We had our orders even if they made little sense to us. 'Borealum' was our inside joke for the fortifications he _let_ us build. Kaurava II..." Cyrus closed his eyes for a moment. "We had to go. It was our duty to face the Ruinous Powers. We were not going to fight the Guard. At least..." He qualified. "I don't think so. Captain Boreale was never open about his plans."

-And he never liked you.- The voice from the dreadnought seemed a little dry.

"I don't _care_ if they like me, sir." Cyrus said a bit more sharply than intended, and then bowed his head. "Apologies, sir. I do my duty. I did as instructed. I trained the scouts as he wished and _only_ as he wished." Hate sang in his tone now.

"Cyrus..." Tarkus said softly. "He is gone. He is dead. You cannot undo what happened. Leave vengeance to the Emperor." The scout took a deep breath and nodded.

"That message had to have come from one group, Captain Thule." Cyrus said softly. "You were there for the debriefing. I was ordered not to speak of it." He shut his mouth.

-Speaking of them can have grave repercussions.- Thule replied. He turned the dreadnoughts sarcophagus to Janos who frowned. -What do you know of the Ordo Malleus, Captain?-

"Inquisition dedicated to fighting the forces of Chaos." Janus replied instantly. "They have access to..." He froze as realization struck. " _Them?_ " He demanded of Cyrus who looked at Thule.

-He cannot answer.- Thule said quietly. -I will. The Blood Ravens have always been under scrutiny. It was not until Kronos that I understood why and _I_ cannot speak of _that_. The repercussions would be widespread and not limited to our chapter.- Janus nodded slowly. -But on Kronos and on Kaurava, squads of Space Marines of unknown origin came to our aid. Their armor was silver, and they bore weapons that none of us knew. They fought Chaos with the strength of a thousand battle brothers."

"I know of whom you speak." Janus said softly, his tone almost reverent. "I have seen them myself. But yes, we must not bandy that information about. Sergeant? They contacted you?"

"This seems to be their way." Cyrus admitted. "They were very secretive, even for Space Marines."

"I'll say." Tarkus snorted. "I saw them on Kronus and thought to myself that the Dark Angels had nothing on them for sheer 'Not gonna talk. Ever.'"

-What they do and how is not our concern.- Thule reminded the assembly. -Cyrus? What obligation?-

"I..." Cyrus was steeling himself and nodded to the dreadnought. "After the battle, I attempted to exfiltrate the area. I planned to steal a guard shuttle, make my way to the battle barge that way. Send a signal to chapter command. Something. I was caught." Shame sounded. "I walked right into a trap. A rookie mistake and I walked right into it."

"Even Space Marines can be shaken." Janus said reasonably. Cyrus nodded. "The Guard?"

"Worse." Cyrus blew out a deep breath. "The Dark Eldar." At that, every other Marine in the area stiffened. They had all heard stories or seen the remains left by the deranged cousins of the Eldar. "They were scavenging the battlefield and caught me as if I was an initiate myself. Before I knew what was happening, I was disarmed and in a cage. I was not alone."

"Cyrus..." Tarkus breathed in horror, but Thule cut him off.

-Let him speak.- The dreadnought commanded and Tarkus nodded. The scout nodded to both and continued.

"They had taken my weapons and armor, but I was not defenseless." Cyrus said softly. "There were two in the cage with me. A broken, sobbing blinded sister of battle and a brother that I did not know. He never spoke. The first time I caught him awake, he signaled in battle code that he was mortally wounded. He asked me to deliver a message if I managed to escape. I promised I would." He chuckled sourly. "Wasn't much chance of that, but it was all I could do to ease his passing. One night, he handed me a tightly wrapped scroll and then fell back. When I checked him, he was dead."

"A scroll?" Janus asked. "What was on it?"

"I never looked." Cyrus admitted. "I had no sooner hidden the scroll in the remnants of my gear when an explosion sounded nearby and the power failed to my cage. My implants had functioned and I had planned to blow several bars anyway. In the cover of the explosion, I did so. I asked the sister to come, but she never seemed to hear me. I am not proud that I left her there. There were Tau fighting the Dark Eldar and I don't know what happened. I fled."

"Unarmed? Unarmored? Only thing you _could_ do." Janus said firmly and Cyrus smiled a little at him. "And then?"

"I made my way to an Imperial Guard outpost, stole a shuttle and flew to the Battle Barge ' _Ravages of Honor_ ' that had brought us to that accursed place. I boarded and contacted Command. They were _not_ happy. The Governor General spun some lies about being attacked in his palace. _We_ didn't but Segmentum Command didn't care. We had been smacked down for Kronus and that as all they cared about." Hate sang again in his tone. "If I _ever_ get a shot at that man..."

-Cyrus- Thule's tone was mild, but the scout stiffened anyway. -Let the past stay in the past, Space Marine. We need to deal with the present and the future. The obligation?-

"I sent the message and the scroll where he told me to." Cyrus said softly. "I didn't expect a response, but I got one. They said 'Obligation acknowledged.' I have no idea what the scroll was or why it was so important. Frankly? I don't _want_ to know."

"Probably wise." Janus admitted. "From what little I know of them, they guard a _lot_ of secrets."

"They would not have sent this without a reason, sirs." Cyrus said, thinking hard. "Can we get there in eight days?"

"Barring a freak warp storm? Easily." Janus replied instantly. "Captain Thule?"

-'What is lost can be found' can be taken any number of ways.- The dreadnought replied. -Both of our chapters have lost much over the millennia. Either way, it is not that far out of our way, true?-

"We had no other leads." Janus said with a shrug. "I will order a course change and prepare my company." He nodded to Cyrus." And maybe get you some closure."

"I am never going to get the closure I want, Captain." Cyrus said softly. Janus gave him a look, turned and left. "I need... some time..."

-Go Cyrus.- Thule said softly, his massive hand coming down to barely touch the scout on the arm. -We will make ready.- As Cyrus turned to go, he heard Thaddeus speak.

"Is there any chance of recovering geneseed after all this time?" The assault sergeant asked quietly.

 _Not Boreale's if I have_ **anything** _at_ **all** _to say about it._ Cyrus through darkly as the door shut behind him. Then he prayed.

 _Emperor, for **one** shot at the Governor General, just _**one** _shot..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Moonrise**

Mira wasn't sure what was going on. She had slept a great deal, she had no way to tell how long. It was odd though. She wasn't hungry or thirsty. She also didn't need the facilities. Had her captors-? Her thoughts took an abrupt right turn. Whatever the hell they were who had her, they didn't have to be kind. They could have slapped her into a tiny cell or a cage and experimented on her if they had questions. Instead, the room was just that, a room. A medicae facility recovery room if she didn't miss her guess. She had been in her share. At least, she had been in Imperium ones. This room was different. The lack of ornamentation was a telling sign. _Any_ Imperium medicae facility would have signs, warnings, slogans, and/or emblems blazoned everywhere. She sat up slowly and checked all of her extremities. All of her finger sand toes moved when she willed them to and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Good morning, Mira." A neutral male voice sounded from a hidden speaker and Mira jumped. "I apologize I did not mean to startle you. How do you feel?"

"I..." Mira clamped her mouth shut and pondered her options for a moment. Insulting her hosts was likely not a good idea. "Good. I feel good. If a bit weak and very confused." She rubbed her bare skull and frowned. She had never really been vain, but her hair had been an indulgence that she had taken pleasure in occasionally. "What happened to me?"

"We found you in a machine that was keeping you alive. It had done several things to you that we have been working to fix." The other had not introduced himself, Mira noted. She did not comment on that. "What it did and why, we are still determining carefully. The Inquisition really like their traps."

"That they do." Mira shivered in memory. "Am I a guest or a prisoner?"

"We prefer guest. We cannot allow you the run of the ship." The other said quietly. "But confining you when you haven't _done_ anything but be hurt and left for us to find seems barbaric."

"Left for you to find?" Mira asked, even more confused. "I was... We were trying to escape. He got free and... I..." She groaned as her head hurt. "I..."

"Easy." The other said quickly. "Don't push it. You had brain damage from what was done to you." Mira hissed in fear and the other spoke in a soothing tone. "We have done what we can. Now? You need to take time to heal." He paused. "From your reactions and what you have not asked, you know we are not human."

"Agatha said as much." Mira said softly. "She did not say who, just that you were not human. So... She works for you?"

"Yes." The other was calm and controlled now. "You do not know us except what your Imperium has taught you. That no non-human can be trusted. Because of that, while I would wish otherwise, I know you cannot trust us. All we ask is that you not try to harm anyone while you are here. We are debating if we can send you to a human world or not. That would be a death sentence if we did so to the wrong place or time."

"I serve the Imperium." Mira was comfortable with that if little else at the moment. "I am a soldier. It is all I know."

"Well, soldier..." The other was gentle. "For now? You cannot fight in your condition without causing more harm to yourself. Will you let us tend you? Agatha is sleeping but she will be happy to help you. It is what she does. She helps humans who come into our circles of influence."

"You are not like any... um... others..." Mira bit back the word 'xenos'. "...I have ever encountered."

"You have dealt with non-humans?" The other sounded interested now.

"Orks." Mira said flatly.

"Oh." The other made noise of such disgust that Mira had to smile. "Yeah. We don't like them either."

"I don't know anyone who does." Mira said with a chuckle that to her surprise wasn't forced. She felt pain start to impact her senses, ignored it. The other was perceptive however.

"You are in pain." The other sounded worried. "Will you let us tend you?"

"Do I have a choice?" Mira asked softly.

"Yes." The other replied. "Agatha fought us for years, both passively and actively. We did not want to let her die. At first, that was because she was a source of information. But then, she became a friend. Her faith is strong and it helped her through her troubles. I do not like seeing sentients in pain, healing others is what I do. We wish to establish at least a basic level of trust, so unless you are about to perish, I will not take choice from you."

"Am I about to perish?" Mira asked.

"No." The other reassured her. "You lost the outer layer of skin from most of your body and there will be complications from that. The main reason you are in isolation now is that we worry about infections. We have garments ready for you, but getting into them will be difficult for you. Agatha will help, but she will sleep for another half shift. Do you want to wait for her?"

Mira thought about that and then shook her head. "No. I need... I want to know what is happening. What happened to me and why."

"Very well." The other sounded reassured. "I will send a nurse in along with a drone. They will help you into the garment. It will not be easy getting into it and you will have pain even when wearing it. But it will protect your skin while it heals, notify medical support if you have any difficulties and allow you to be mobile."

Mira nodded and sat back, keeping her face calm as the door opened and a form stepped in. The non-human was humanoid but she had blue skin and large eyes. She had a large Y shaped groove in her forehead. She wore a set of green robes and had an odd headpiece that jutted up from where the rught ear would be on a human at an angle. She nodded to Mira as a disk shaped thing with menacing looking machinery hung underneath it hovered in behind her.

"Mira?" The non-human said softly. "I am Por'El Salierrra. I am acting as a nurse. I am here to help. I will do my best not to hurt you."

"Let's just get this done." Mira fought to stay relaxed as the hovering thing eased closer to her. The nurse nodded and stepped close.

* * *

It hurt a _lot_.

The machine had projected a field that had lifted Mira right off the bed. The nurse had been gentle removing the thing gown that Mira wore, but it still hurt. Then it had gotten bad. Mira had found herself crying as the nurse had held her more than once. Salierra had never spoken sharply to her even when Mira cursed and tried hard not to struggle. Getting her fingers covered had been particularly harsh. Despite the first thing put on being a sprayed on white substance that had soothed her skin and cushioned the rest, even then, _every_ movement had brought more pain. Finally, Mira lay back on her bed, panting from the exertions. She stared down at the grey body suit that covered her from the neck to her toes. Tech that she could not identify flashed from parts of it, but her pain was fading.

"Last piece." If Salierra had been human, Mira would say she was fighting tears. The blue skinned alien held up a small thing and Mira eyed it. "This will cover your head except for your face and I can have hair made for you. It will not act as real hair, but it will look better than bare skin." Mira had never heard such a note of kindness in an alien voice before. She hadn't thought such a thing could exist. Mira tried to reach for the thing Salierra held, but her hand shook very badly..

"Wha-?" Mira swallowed hard as Salierra took hold of her hand.

"You have pushed yourself past your limits, Mira." The nurse said softly, laying Mira's hand down beside her. "You need rest. I will put this on while you sleep." She smiled a little sadly. "Do you want hair? We can replicate some artificial substitute for you until your natural hair grows out again."

"I... I don't know." Mira felt dizziness sweep through her, followed by a lethargy. "What is happening to me?"

"Your body is reacting to the sudden lack of pain." The nurse patted her hand gently. "You really need to sleep now, Mira. Rest, human. When you wake, you will be hungry, thirsty and need gentle exercise to loosen up your muscles. But for now? Just let your body heal. You are in no danger here." Her voice was so soft, so calming that Mira felt her eyes slowly close. "That is it, Mira. That is it. Good night."

"Good night." Mira mumbled and then was asleep.

* * *

Salierrra finished her work and rose. She stretched stiff muscles and nodded to the drone. It would stay where it was until Mira was awake and out of any possible danger. She strode to the door and did not stop until she as in the middle of the decontamination room. It sealed and she closed her eyes as the spray of energy washed over her. The cycle wasn't long at all and she had a lot to think about. When she stepped out, she was not surprised to find the Shas'Vre in charge of the military forces with the Fio'El who ran the medicae facility. The Fire Warrior nodded to her.

"That is one _tough_ Gue'la." Salierra said sadly as she moved to where a glass of water had been set of her. The Earth Caste medic nodded but did not speak. "Shas'Vre, she wasn't lying."

"I defer to your experience on that, Por'El Salierra." The soldier said quietly. "As always, your methods are less brutal than mine." He smiled a little. "And this time, no harm done."

"I don't like lying to her." Salierra said with a frown. She wasn't a nurse. She was one of the head diplomats assigned to the mission in case they needed diplomacy. Her skills in gaining information rivaled any interrogator, but her methods were very gentle."We needed to know. She truly does not know what happened. She had no way of resisting the subharmonics while in such pain and she will not remember answering the questions I posed. She never even _heard_ them or her responses. It is irrational, but I feel soiled by this. Her pain was so much and she fought it so hard. I used that to probe her memory and I..." She sighed. "It was needed. The Greater Good must be served. But I do not think she will forgive me when she discovers what I did. When she wakes, I will explain."

The female Tau trembled a little in reaction. Her empathy was a powerful weapon. The problem with such a powerful weapon was that it cut both ways. She cared. She really and truly cared for people, both hers and others. That was a weakness at times, one reason she had never risen any higher in rank. Another was that she was happy doing what she did. Most of the time.

"You need to rest." The Earth Caste medic said softly. "She will sleep for a shift, perhaps more. Your note about her hair was well taken. We can fabricate a covering for her in her original hair color. We have samples from her follicles."

"Females of almost any sentient race put stock in their appearance. I know I need to rest." Salierra smiled but it was a trifle melancholy. "Keep me informed. I think I like this human. Lost, alone and in pain, she still managed to remain civil. That is rare." She nodded when both looked at her. "Yes. I recommend beginning a preliminary Indoctrination. We could certainly use someone like her."

"If she decides we are trapping her, it will not end well." The Fio'El said delicately. Salierra nodded her face grave.

"So, we do not." The diplomat said firmly. "We show her the truth and let her judge for herself. But we must beware. As Agatha said, her faith has been shaken. We must not shake her further or it can do permanent damage. We meter out the truth in doses she can handle. Under _no_ circumstances do we lie to her again. She _will_ find out and any chance for trust will be gone. We keep her pain under control, keep her calm and try to find something for her to do." She paused as the Shas'vre looked worried. "Nothing sensitive. Maybe helping Agatha?"

"Agatha will be busy." The Fire Warrior said with a grunt. "The guards here did not put up much of a fight. So we have thirty seven more mouths to feed and guard."

"Were there any of their political officers?" Salierra asked. "There had to be one for that many troops."

"He did not survive the assault." The Shas'Vre said with a frown. "He was not killed by our weapons." Both of the others winced at that. "We have the female who did it sequestered from the others."

"Typical." Salierra groaned. "These Gue'la are so infuriating sometimes. Some are like Mira, tough and fair minded. Others are brutal and barbaric enough to give even Orks pause. Some are simply impossible to fathom. Telling them apart can be next to impossible at first glance." She heaved a sigh. "I will make ready for the interrogations."

" _After_ you rest." The Fio'El said sharply. "The prisoners are going nowhere and none are in danger of dying. You are exhausted, Por'El."

"I..." Salierra looked at the Fire Warrior but he just shrugged. "Pushy medic."

"We all serve the Greater Good, Por'El Salierra." The medic smiled as she nodded. "Pushing yourself into a collapse will not help anyone. Don't make me order you sedated." Salierra just groaned again and he shook his head. "Por'El, please."

""I will rest, Fio'El." The diplomat said formally. "I will be ready to begin the interrogations in a shift, Shas'Vre. It that satisfactory?" She asked the medic who nodded.

"We will have as much basic information as can be garnered from their belongings and surroundings as possible for you, Por'El." The soldier promised. "But my instincts are telling me this was not a popular posting. The humans are not the best that I have seen of the Imperial Guard."

"We will work with what we are given." Salierra replied and then set the glass down and started for the door only to pause as a medical drone hovered after her. She turned to the medic who met her gaze impassively. "Do not even think it."

"You are going to your assigned quarters and your are going to _sleep_." The Fio'El said in a tone that matched the Shas'Vre's for iron. Then again, in _his_ field his word was law. "I know you, Por'El Salierra. You will find an excuse to keep going long past the time you _should_." Salierra stiffened and then slumped.

"There is so much to do and so few hands." The Water Caste female said weakly. "I will not shirk my duty."

"You are not." The Shas'Vre replied before the medic could. "We all have different skills. I cannot do what you can. You cannot do what I can. I could have produced answers from this human Mira, but we couldn't _trust_ mine." He smiled at Salierra who nodded. "Nothing will happen in a _shift_ , Por'El. Get some rest."

"Shas'Vre, Fio'el." Salierra turned and left the medicae facility without another word, ignoring the drone that followed her.

The ship that had been their home for so long felt empty now with so many out and about, working to refurbish the dilapidated moon base. The humans of course, had destroyed all of the tech they could find and access. They had slapped their crude iconography everywhere and basically ignored most of the place.

Salierra paused at a window and stared out across the grey expanse. So much death had happened in this place, so many lives lost and for what? It was too far from the Empire. The Ethereals wouldn't have been able to _hold_ it. The Ethereals' expedition had been sent ostensibly to study the warpstorm, since such were rare and almost impossible to study safely. But Salierra knew better. They wanted everything they saw. Their grasping matched any human she had ever encountered for sheer greed on occasion. Oh, they masked it better. The Greater Good was not a euphemism for so many. But she and her colleagues in the Water Caste who called the Enclaves home had seen the truth. Farsight's truth.

The drone beeped at her and she scowled at it before turning and moving towards her quarters. The door opened for her and she smiled as she saw the spacious area -sinfully so on a spacecraft- spread out before her. She sank down onto a cushion and let her emotions loose. Tears started falling that she wouldn't have let _any_ see. She had to be strong, for herself, for her colleagues, for the Greater Good. But it hurt. It hurt so much sometimes. Helping Mira was a good thing, balanced on so many bad that she had chosen as necessary for the accomplishment of her missions. She was Tau. She served the Greater Good and-

She gasped as something went hiss behind her and then she was falling. But cold arms caught her and lowered her to the cushion as consciousness fled.

 _That sneaky medic!_

But... why were the arms... _wrong_?


	6. Chapter 6

**Levels of Good**

 _"What?"_

It wasn't very often that Shas'Vre Vior'la Oxa'are felt as if the whole world had come crashing down around him. He knew the feeling from his Trials by Fire, the tests by which a Fire Warrior proved he was capable of assuming the burdens of higher rank. Each test was as unique as each Fire Warrior was. The warrior who called himself Vior'la Oxa'are had faced the tests three times, succeeding each time. Each had been brutal in the extreme. One did _not_ rise in the ranks of the Fire Warriors through family connections or political power. _Especially_ in the Farsight Enclaves.

"The drone was _disabled!_ " Fio'El Ke'lshan Torom repeated from his station. "Por'El Salierra is _not_ in her quarters! Instituting a full ship scan."

"Alert! All Fire Warriors to alert!" Shas'Vre Vior'la Oxa'are snapped into his com, alarms instantly starting to blare. "We have an intruder! Por'El Salierra is missing. Find her!" He strode to a multipurpose console set in the wall nearby that wasn't in use an keyed his codes in. A schematic of the huge Explorer class ship appeared, showing each deck as a different color. He shook his head and his words went to the medic alone. "Most of the teams are out working on the base. Whoever this is, they picked a good time."

The sounds of running feet thrummed through the deck.

"How did they get aboard?" The Fio'El demanded even as he secured his own area with drones and his few personnel. A glance at Mira's monitor showed the human woman sleeping. One less thing to worry about. Then he snarled half heartedly as a door opened and Agatha staggered in. Her hair was a mess and her garments looked hastily thrown on, but her face was serene. "Agatha."

"You may need me." The blind sister made her way by touch to a wall where a seat unfolded for her. "What happened?"

"Por'El Salierra interviewed our guest." The Fio'El said delicately. Agatha did not react and he sighed. "Agatha, we needed to know."

"Mira will not react well to that." Agatha said flatly. "And _then_? Mira didn't cause this. Not in the condition she was in." She tapped controls with the skill of long practice and then pulled a headset out of the wall, sliding it over her head. It would relay audio cues to her so she wouldn't miss anything in conversation. She was listening to a summary and her face fell as she heard what Mira had said. "Poor girl."

"The Por'El agreed." Shas'Vre Vior'la Oxa'are replied without emotion. "Personally? I can see her point, but my duty is to the mission, ship and crew. We need to find her."

"The Por'El or Mira?" Agatha asked.

"Mira is sleeping. We got the garments on her but that exhausted her." The Fio'El said quietly. "Por'El Salierra was exhausted as well and went to her quarters to rest. The drone I sent with her was disabled."

"You sure _she_ didn't do it?" Agatha asked with a tight smile. "She doesn't like being spied on." She knew and liked the Por'El. They shared a similar sense of humor.

"It wasn't her." The Fio'El replied. "I cannot scan her anywhere on the ship. I should be able to pick up her transponder anywhere within two kilometers of the ship. Either she is further than that away or she is being shielded somehow."

"Shielded." The Shas'Vre said firmly. "There is no other way for someone to get onto the ship. So, either she is here and we will find her, or she is close."

"Why take her?" Agatha asked after a moment. "I mean, she is important, no question. But as a hostage, she is virtually useless. She will not allow herself to be used for such." Fear for her friend sang in her tone and was tamped down.

"Would humans take her? We may have missed one." The Shas'Vre asked Agatha who thought about that.

"Possible." Agatha admitted. "But if so, I don't see _why_. Whoever did it was obviously skilled to get aboard without being detected. But why _her_?" She repeated and then froze. "Someone... who would know she is a diplomat." It wasn't quite a question.

"What?" Both the medic and the soldier glanced at each other and then at Agatha.

"Who would know what she is?" Agatha pressed. "No offense, but to most humans, all Tau look the same."

"None taken." The Shas'Vre said mildly. "I find most human look the same to me. What are you saying, Agatha?"

"Who would recognize the Por'El for _what_ she is? One of the highest ranked diplomats on this expedition?" Agatha said slowly. "Is it possible that one of your people survived here?"

"I..." For once, the Shas'Vre was stuck completely speechless. "Fio'El?"

"I wouldn't _think_ so." The medic sounded dazed and who could blame him? "It has been almost ten human years. The ones who came here were all adults, at the least in their second decade. To hide for so long?"

"They did not bring children with them, did they?" Agatha asked.

"Not into a war zone." The Shas'Vre replied instantly. "Much as I dislike the Ethereals' methods, they are not universally altogether evil. It would be inefficient for another thing."

"What if..." The Fio'El was staring off into space. "I know of two cases where families _began_ in warzones." He shook his head. "No, they would have sent any offspring away as dangerous as this place was."

"But they didn't _think_ it was that dangerous." Agatha said softly and the others looked at each other and then at her. "Did they?"

"Travel here and back was very difficult." The Shas'Vre was nodding slowly. "Oh dear."

"That is speculation. We should stick to the facts.." Agatha said softly. "What we know is that the Por'El is missing and someone disabled the drone. That says 'Tau' to me. That means is it highly unlike that whoever it was will hurt her."

"That is assumption." The Shas'Vre word was grudging, but he wasn't dismissing her opinion out of hand either. "But certainly plausible. No matter what, we cannot track her."

" _You_ can't." Agatha said soft as she rose. "Fio'El, please ask Shaper Jarl to meet me at the Por'El's quarters." Both the soldier and the medic inhaled at that. She was _asking_ for _Kroot_?

"Agatha." The medic's voice was flat. "Don't even _think_ it. You are not a warrior anymore."

"I don't need to be for this, Fio'El." Agatha smiled widely.

"All I need is a _nose_."

* * *

Five minutes later

"You look tired, human Agatha." The words were hissed, but completely understandable as Agatha followed her memorized path to the Por'El's quarters.

"I feel like regurgitated monkey brains but I am needed, so I am moving." Agatha replied and the other laughed. He made her very nervous, but he was never less than polite to her.

"I would say you look almost inedible." The Shaper replied. Agatha smiled. He wouldn't come out and say it, but his words were a rare admission that he was worried about her. "Why call me?" He asked.

A valid question. The Kroot were _not_ her favorite members of the Farsight Enclaves. It wasn't anything they did in her presence, it was what they _were_ and what they did in battle. Beings who considered sentients _food_ had always made humans nervous. Likely always would.

"You have the best nose for scent I know." Agatha said simply. "Mine is far more sensitive than a normal human's, but that is not saying much."

"You think we can track whoever took the Por'El by scent?" The Shaper asked carefully. "She is careful to remain odor neutral." It was appreciated by a lot of races with sharp noises, the Kroot were only one such.

"Yes." Agatha stopped at the door, aware from the sounds that the pair of Fire Warriors that the Shas'Vre had assigned to her had stayed back a little ways. Not surprising. The Tau tolerated the Kroot as very useful additions to their battle forces, but they too were nervous about them on occasion. "All we have now are assumptions. The few facts we have are these: The Por'El was here. The drone supervising her was disabled. She is no longer here."

"Who dared sic a drone on the Por'El?" The Shaper asked with a laugh. "She cannot have taken that well."

"I doubt she did." Agatha had to smile at the carnivore's humor. He always managed to put her at ease despite knowing that he was essentially the head chef of his small tribe and she could wind up on the dinner plate. "Thing is, if I or one of your people had been detected in the wrong place, alarms would have sounded. The Por'El's quarters are off limits without her permission, the Fio'El's or the Shas'Vre's. Which I have." She qualified quickly.

"Good point." The Shaper mused. "You think a _Tau_ did this?" He could not quite keep the disbelief from his voice.

"The Shas'Vre and Fio'El think whoever took the Por'El was shielded from scans somehow." Agatha replied. "But I have yet to see a shield that can work on scent."

"There are such things." Jarl said quietly. "But they are fairly noticeable. Even on a Tau ship, if someone is walking around with a dead animal, smearing it's blood everywhere, _someone_ will notice." The derision in his words cut deep. Agatha raised a hand as murmurs of anger came from the Fire Warriors.

"He speaks the truth." The blind sister said calmly. "Your people as a whole are far too trusting. Will you help us, Jarl?" She asked.

"I like the Por'El. Her kind are far too rare." The Kroot said calmly. She felt a scaled hand take hers. "She appreciates a good joke."

"Let's get her back."

* * *

Somewhere else

Salierra roused, aware of oddities. She was not in her quarters. She remembered the feeling of a gas knocking her out, her assumption that the Fio'El had sedated her and then odd arms that had eased her to the floor. She opened her eyes and everything was dark.

"Cover eyes." The words were in no language that Salierra knew but translated into her mother tongue. She prided herself on knowing at least something of almost every language that existed in her area of operation. But this... It wasn't so much a language as it was the clicks and- She froze and did as instructed as realization dawned. Light blossomed around her and clicking intensified. "No harm."

She cracked her eyes and saw bright light through her fingers. She blinked quickly to adjust her vision and saw what she expected. A Vespid was perched nearby. She glanced around and froze. The 'room' was a cave and it seemed _filled_ with Vespid. At least a dozen of the insectoid forms stood or perched around the room. Some of them were armed with the neutron blasters that the Ethereals had given them, others with makeshift spears, bows and arrows. From the look of the rock walls, she was still on Nan Yanoi, the moon that had served the Tau as their base in Kaurava. All of the insectoid forms wore torso armor that was in the colors of the expeditionary force that had come here and died.

"Tau." The Vespid bowed to her and she managed a nod even as her head swam. Something swung with her head and when she touched it, she felt chitin. The words were coming to her ears from that thing, not from him. "Apologize for discourtesy. Needed communication. No other way."

"You have been here since the moon base fell." Salierra said softly. The Vespid made a motion that was obviously meant to be a nod. "Why? Why not leave with the others?"

"Duty." The Vespid -this had to be the spokesbeing of the swam, a Strain Leader- was calm. Salierra wracked her mind, trying to recall everything she had learned about the Vespid. It wasn't much.

"Duty?" Salierra sat up. None of the watching Vespid reacted and she folded herself into a neat position that would allow her comfort as well as freedom of motion if needed. Not that she had _any_ chance in a fight against a cave full of Vespid. "What duty? To who?"

"Shas'O Or'Es'Ka order. We obey." The Vespid replied, rising. She stared behind him at...the wall of small stasis tubes that had been shielded from her sight. They were Tau in design, but far too small for adults.

"Oh my god!" Salierra said weakly. "They had... _children_ here?" The Vespid nodded to her. "But... I..."

"Tau come back. Tau take young." The Vespid said firmly as it rose. All of the others did as well. "Duty done."

"Wait." Salierra felt fear rise, but she hadn't any idea why or how. "Wait! What will you do now?"

"Duty done." The Vespid's voice sounded tired now. "Time." He started for a door that she blanched when she realized it was marked 'Airlock'. All of the others followed him! Some lay down their weapons, but none slowed.

"No!" Salierra screamed, rising and running to try and block the way. Silly that, each of the Vespid took wing and flew around her. "No! Please! You have lived so long! Here? We can help you people!" Tears started falling as she realized she couldn't stop them. The Vespid leader landed in front of her.

"You like Shas'O Or'es'ka, not like others. He call us 'friend'. You call us 'people', not 'thing', 'bug', 'monster'." The Vespid touched her arm gently. "You follow Ethereal?"

"No." Salierra was too spent to equivocate.

"That good." The Vespid said softly. "Live long. See much. Do much. We go now. No bring disorder swarm. No good."

"You stayed here, protected these children for all this time and now you will just... die?" Salierra begged, reaching for the Vespid who shifted back effortlessly. "No. Please."

"You good." The Vespid said quietly. "We evil. We go. No place strain Greater Good."

"Yes, there _is_!" Salierra begged. "Maybe not the Ethereals', but Farsight's? You do not need to die! Please?"

"You serve O'shavah?" The Vespid looked at her with its odd faceted eyes and she nodded. "That good."

"Most of the time." Salierra was crying hard as the Vespid reached out to take her arm.

"No cry, Tau." The Vespid sounded kind now. "Is way. Life, death, rebirth, new life. Nothing last forever. Not even Vespid dishonor."

"How can it be dishonorable to save the lives of _children_?" Salierra demanded. Instead of answering, the Vespid spun her to look at where she had woken. The nest was... She gagged as she realized she had lain on bones. Dozens, _hundreds_ of bones. Human, Ork, Eldar. She saw other bones she didn't know. "Wha-?"

"Duty." The Vespid replied calmly. "Protect Tau offspring. We stay. We do. We kill for selves. Not for Greater Good. We evil."

"No." Salierra said quickly. "No, you are _not_! You were given a command and you _obeyed_ it. No more."

"We serve no more." The Vespid said firmly and then spoke more carefully. "We would die soon regardless. Now? We die free of obligation. Do not grieve for us, Tau. We serve the Greater Good. You Vespid friend. We remember."

Salierra was crying as the Vespid released her arm and moved toward the door Each Vespid stepped up to her touched her arm and then retreated, moving to stand by the door. The airlock opened and most of the Vespid filed in even as Salierra begged them incoherently to stay. One paused, reached back and touched her gently. It looked from her to the strain leader who buzzed something. It buzzed back.

"Tau. Turn to side." The strain leader said softly. Salierra was too overcome to do so and the Vespid by her took hold of her arms and gently turned her, then reached out with a careful claw to raise her tear streaming head. "Look." Salierra stared at...eggs. At least a dozen large eggs that looked oddly slick in the bright light sat in a hidden alcove. But... how? She spun to stare at the Vespid who she could swear was smug. "We free of Ethereals. Young have chance. Tau _and_ Vespid."

Salierra slowly reached out to the Vespid who had touched her and hugged the insect carefully. It buzzed in her ear and she could swear it was soothing her. She sank to her knees right there, the other holding her arm, helping her down. It stood back up and then touched her skull. Something fell away into its hand. It bowed to her and then moved to the airlock where the others waited.

Salierra could do nothing but stare at the airlock through her tears as it closed. She was still sitting there, crying, when shouts came to her ears.

"Here!" A familiar voice sounded and she was suddenly surrounded by bodies. "She is _here_! Call the medics!"

"Salierra?" Agatha's taut voice pulled at the distraught diplomat, but she couldn't move or articulate. "Jarl?" She pleaded as the diplomat felt human hands on her arms and the human hugged her tight.

"She is unharmed physically." What was the _Shaper_ doing here? Of all the people Salierra might have expected to rescue her, the Kroot was _not_ on the list. "Por'El? What happened?"

"A miracle." Salierra waved to the wall with the stasis pods. Jarl hissed in incredulity. Agatha just held her.

"What do you see, Jarl?" Agatha asked.

"Thirty Tau pods of some kind I am not familiar with." The Kroot said, confusion reigning. "Por'El? What are these? Who brought you here? I do not recognize the smell. That is how we tracked you."

"Those are stasis pods." Salierra said weakly. She felt Agatha suddenly stiffen. "Children. They had children here and they left a guard force to protect the kids."

"I do not see or smell any guards." Jarl sounded tense and Salierra understood. She understood the Kroot quite well after long talks with him and others.

"They are gone." The diplomat sobbed into Agatha's shoulder. "They said their duty was done. They said they were evil, that there was no place for them in our Greater Good. I tried. I _tried_ to convince them. They wouldn't _listen_."

"But where did they _go_?" Jarl demanded and then his voice choked off. When he spoke again, it was tight and strained. "Por'El Salierra...the _only_ other exit from this room..."

" _IS AN_ _ **AIRLOCK!**_ " The diplomat screamed, cutting him off. "I _know_. All I could do was _watch_." For a long moment, there was utter silence in the room. "They were Vespid, from before. Oreska's private guards. He ordered them to protect the kids. They did. I don't know how many they killed to protect the kids. But they did." She slumped, spent. "They did."

"Oh, Salierra." Agatha was crying now too even though she had no tear ducts. She sang a prayer softly and hugged Salierra again. "We will get you home and taken care of. We will get the kids to safety and then see what has to be done."

"Don't look at me." Jarl warned even as bustle sounded in the close distance. "You do _not_ want someone like me around a bunch of immature Tau. They might inherit my table manners."

Salierra couldn't help it. She laughed. The pain and tension she had been carrying faded and she relaxed for the first time since waking. But of course, Agatha couldn't just let the Kroot have the last word.

"Oh, I don't know." Agatha had a grin in her voice. "We could probably use some extra hands when it comes time to change the babies. Nevermind the smell. You are a big tough warrior. You can take it."

The sound of utter horror from the Kroot had Salierra smiling.


	7. Chapter 7

**Assaults**

(at almost exactly the same time)

The greeting party was unwelcome but completely expected. Inquisitors made people nervous. It was part and parcel to who and what they were and often made their work of ferreting out secrets easier. If Thrax had wanted to sneak in, avoid Imperial attention, he could have easily. He didn't. What he wanted in this system was only accessible through the Governor General. Kaurava IV had been quarantined so thoroughly that even Thrax's heavily stealthed ship wouldn't have been able to get past the sensors and weapon platforms without being blown to pieces. So, he decided to pay a visit to Kaurava I and the Governor. As always, he was prepared for trouble, Inquisitors never knew where or when enemies would pop up. But he wasn't overly worried about that. He wasn't alone.

As soon as he stepped onto the ramp of his ship, Thrax picked out the form of the Governor General among the babbling throng. But it wasn't until his companion stepped out of the ship that _everyone_ suddenly fell silent. _Few_ Inquisitors had the sheer physical presence of an Adeptas Asartes. Then again, this Space Marine had his helmet on, was fully armed with boltgun, bolt pistol and chainsword. Few would notice the other weapon slung across his back as well. The fact that he did not seem hostile was little comfort. In this case though, it wasn't the armor or weapons that silenced everyone. It was the heraldry _on_ said armor. _And_ the fact that his Godwyn pattern boltgun was in hand and ready.

"Inquisitor." The Governor General sounded calm, but his eyes were flashing. "Your visit is unexpected."

"It is a poor excuse for an Inquisitor who is expected to show up when and where others wish." Thrax nodded as he stepped towards the man. Several guards moved to ready their weapons and Thrax paused. "I cannot recommend that anyone shoot at the Commander here. It would be a very bad idea. Probably a terminal one."

"You bring a Blood Raven here?" The Governor General said flatly. "Do you know what they did?"

"Oh? What _did_ they do to incite such... hostility in your men?" Thrax inquired idly. "From what I understand, they destroyed a force of Chaos Space Marines and then _you_ killed half their chapter here." The Governor General paused in whatever he was going to say and the Inquisitor forged ahead. " _After_ of course, the _Tau_ did most of the work for you. Very efficient, I have to say." He shook his head, ignoring the hostile looked that many were sending his way. "I am honestly curious. Did anyone from Segmentum Command even _bother_ to check your report? Or did they just file it under 'forget'?" His smile might have given a shark goosebumps.

"My report was perfectly clear." The Governor General replied without a touch of heat. His eyes were cold though.

"Oh yes." Thrax admitted. "You were attacked. You responded. Simple. Funny thing though, you didn't list any casualties in that 'attack' on your palace." _His_ eyes were cold pits of darkness. "Odd that Adeptas Asartes, who _specialize_ in decapitation strikes, _failed_ to kill a single one of your men in _trying_ to kill you." He shook his head. "The Commander and I are not here to revisit old choices. We need to get to Kaurava IV. I need to get your permission to do that, hence why I am here. The only reason I am here."

"And if I refuse your permission?" The Governor General asked, to all appearances openly curious. Until you looked at his eyes.

"Well, maintaining the quarantine is your responsibility." Thrax replied. "I am sure the Guard will do so much better this time that the _last_ time at stopping the Ruinous Powers in their tracks."

It was totally deadpan, but it was a zinger. No one knew for sure what had brought the Warp Storm to Kaurava and all of the associated powers that fought over the four worlds but historically speaking, it was almost always a human doing something stupid with the Warp that caused such and the humans on Kaurava IV had almost all been Guard. By the time the dust had settled, thousands of beings, including Chaos Space Marines, Dark Eldar, Eldar, Orks, Adeptas Sororitas, Adeptas Asartes, and Tau had fallen. The Guard's casualties were close to a million. The damage was _still_ being repaired. The Guard had lost almost three quarters of its fighting forces in the initial Chaos onslaught. It was a miracle to some that they had managed to recover so quickly and retake the system from so many disparate forces. Many in the Inquisition suspected worse things, but that was their job.

"We maintain the quarantine." The Governor General actually _growled_. "On the Inquisition's orders."

"And I am sure you are managing that as well as you managed the moon base of Kaurava II." The apparent non-sequitor had the Governor pausing and Thrax shook his head. "Or did you not know that a force of Tau just _reclaimed_ that?" His tone was not -quite- snide.

" _What_?" The Governor General actually blanched. He spun to a uniformed subordinate and snarled at the man. "Contact the base. Now!" The man nodded jerkily and ran to a comconsole set against one pillar. "You had better not be playing with me, Inquisitor."

"Governor General..." Thrax heaved a sigh. "I have _far_ larger concerns than your _ambitions_. I don't _care_ if you picked a fight with a chapter of Adeptas Asartes. I think it is stupid in the extreme. But hey, it was your choice. The Commander and I have business on Kaurava IV and that does not concern you. If you deny my permission, that is your right. If so, I will take my request to Segmentum Command."

Unsaid was that if he did so, Segmentum Command might just take a close, hard look at the goings on in Kaurava again. Inquisitors or other agents of the Imperium might descend in droves to seek out anything and everything out of the ordinary they could find. To say it would be messy would be an understatement.

"And if I refuse to let you leave?" The Governor General froze as a click sounded. A boltgun being taken off safe. Every eye turned to the Blood Raven who was aiming at the Governor General now.

"That would make a hell of a mess." Thrax didn't flinch as several of the Governor's guards readied their own weapons. "If _anyone_ fires, this will end badly for you, Governor General. You and most of your retinue will die here. Your Rosarius might stop _his_ bolts, but it won't stop the bolts in _this_." His hand came up with an oddly shaped weapon. A bolt pistol that had a crossbow attached to the top, one designed to cut through any defenses.

"Governor General, Sir!" The officer at the com called. "Moon base is not responding. Long range detection picks up unknown power sources."

"Emperor!" The Governor General said with a growled epithet. "Stand down!" He commanded. The guard hesitated and he put his hand on his holster. "I said _stand down_. We have Tau to kill. Commissar Brenn!"

"Yes, Governor General." The sinister form of a commissar stepped from a shadow nearby. He had an ornate laspistol in hand. "Orders?"

"Ready the men." The human in charge of the Kaurava system said flatly. "We are going to Kaurava II." He spun back to Thrax and the Blood Raven. "You are coming."

"Am I?" Thrax, to all appearances looked _bored_.

"You want to go to Kaurava IV? Fine. I will take you _after_ we deal with this." The human paused as the Inquisitor shook his head. "It wasn't a request, Inquisitor."

"You seem to forget that I am not under your command, Governor General." Thrax's voice was soft, dangerous. He opened his mouth again only to pause as light flashed around him. He sighed even as the Blood Raven spun, aimed and fired in one sinuous motion. "That was dumb. Of _course_ I am shielded."

The rapid crak-crak-crak of the Blood Raven's boltgun split the hangar and a scream sounded in the distance. One that cut off suddenly.

" _No!_ " The Governor General bellowed as his men took aim and the Blood Raven spun to aim at him again. "Blood Raven, stand _down_! That was _not_ at my orders!"

"You do not command me." The massive armored form said flatly. He did pause as Thrax raised a hand. "Inquisitor?"

"We came here to see the residue of the Warp on Kaurava IV first hand. We came to conduct an experiment that should have no repercussions at all beyond the planet. That is _why_ we came here, because of the strict quarantine." Thrax said with another sigh. "We have neither the time nor the inclination to cater to your whims, Governor General. Tell us to leave and we will. Try to kill us and this will get very bad, very quickly." He shook his head. "If you _do_ manage to kill us, I am sure there are many within the Imperium and without who would applaud you, just as they applauded you when you killed the Order of the Sacred Rose and the Blood Ravens." At that, the whole hangar was suddenly still. "But _this_ time, there will be _other_ people questioning. Not just Astra Militarum who you can bribe, coerce or blackmail." The silence before had been complete. Now it was deafening. "Gabriel Angelos now leads the Blood Ravens. I think you know his reputation."

Understatement. Few who knew of the Blood Ravens did _not_ know the name Gabriel Angelos. A more staunch defender of the Imperium was hard to find. But also, someone who did not take wrongs done to himself and his chapter lightly. If _he_ had been here instead of Indrick Boreale, things might have been very different. At the very least, the Guard wouldn't have had it nearly so easy.

"We beat the Blood Ravens before." One of the uniformed flunkies behind the Governor General said firmly. "We can do it again!"

"You?" The Blood Raven standing there did not bother to hide his derision. "Really?" He didn't bother to shift his aim from the Governor General.

"You cannot talk to me-" Whatever else the flunky was going to say as he clawed for his holster was cut off as the Governor General spun and backhanded him.

"Shut up, Colonel." The human in charge of the Kaurava System said in a cold voice and the man froze, his hand halfway to his mouth were blood fell from a broken lip. "You were not there. I _was._ We had numbers, we had firepower, we had surprise and it _still_ cost us. I made the choice I did. I have no regrets about it." He said to the Space Marine with no fear.

"Good for you." The Blood Raven relaxed just a little. His boltgun tracked away from the Governor General but no one relaxed. He did _not_ put its safety on. "You know what you owe. Sooner or later the debt _will_ be called in, one way or another. By my chapter or others, it matters not. I will not be calling in the debt unless you choose for me to. I am bound to another cause. Be glad."

"Sir!" The officer at the com called. "Detection reports new contacts! Chaos Raiders!"

"Heading for Kaurava IV?" Thrax demanded. The Governor General looked at him and the Inquisitor snarled. "They may seek what we do. Governor General, we must go to Kaurava IV before the day is out. There is a rare conjunction in the Warp that will focus there. The experiment I wish to try is to seal a known rift in the Warp there. If they _open_ it..." The Governor General blanched and nodded.

"Then we have a Chaos incursion on top of the Tau one." The Governor General said with a growl. "Right... Inquisitor, head to Kaurava IV. You are cleared through the quarantine. I will send the fleet to buy you what time we can and provide fire support if needed. The Tau can wait. The big gun there was disabled."

"Let's hope it stays that way." Thrax said with a growl of his own as he turned to go back into his ship. "Commander." He said quietly when the Blood Raven did not move.

The Blood Raven and human Governor General locked eyes for a long moment. Then the Governor General nodded once. He turned and left, his retinue following him as he started to bark orders.

"What was that about?" Thrax asked as they entered the ship.

"A promise to a comrade. He is not for me to kill."

* * *

Orbit over Kaurava I

It was an age old conflict that was being acted out for the millionth time at least. The forces of Chaos had always striven to undermine and destroy the Imperium of Man. They had come very close ten thousand years previous with the corruption of Horus and the ignition of the Horus Heresy. The Emperor had been mortally wounded, kept alive only by the arcane workings of his Golden Throne and the daily sacrifice of thousands of psykers. Time and time again since, the Imperium had been beset by Chaos. So many times, it had nearly fallen. It would have but for the heroes who protected it.

Chaos raiders were fast and powerful with extremely long range weapons. The Imperial Navy forces opposing them were not as fast, but heavily armored and armed. In many ways, it was a classic running engagement. However, the Imperial forces were between where the Chaos ships were and where they wanted to go, so despite the vastness of space, the Chaos ships had to _through_ them. That suited the Imperials just fine.

It began as it always did. Four Chaos cruisers with over a dozen escorts ran towards the massed Imperial fleet surrouunding Kaurava IV that was shaking itself into from stillness to battle readiness. The flagship, a modern Overlord Class battlecruiser called _Lance of Terra_ was the first Imperial ship to start moving, her crew stoked to a frenzy by the Governor General's commands. She was followed by the Gothic class cruiser _Inferno Exuberant_ , two Lunar cruisers, _Decision Courageous_ and _Doom Of Flame_. The _Stone of Sabre_ , an ancient Grand Cruiser that really should have been decommissioned and scrapped centuries before was slow to get going, but lit her drive to full to catch up even as shoals of escorts moved out and around. Dauntless class light cruisers, Cobra, Widowmaker and Firestorm escorts all flew at their ancient enemies. Such a mismatch should have spelled certain victory for the Imperials. But then, things changed as more ships appeared just behind the Chaos cruisers, jumping out of the warp far too close to the gravity wells for safety. Then again, most Chaos captains didn't really care for such. That didn't even count the ones who were not sane..

More than one person in the Imperial fleet felt a touch of fear as the ships were identified. A Despoiler Class Battleship that looked to be the _Fortress of Agony_. It hadn't been seen since the Gothic war. Or no one had _survived_ to report seeing it. Another large Chaos ship was beside it, a Desolator class battleship that no one could see the name of. The postulant boils and icky looking stuff all over it made it hard to see any of the ship. No one sane would board that ship, not with Nurgle's touch all over it. Four more Chaos cruisers and an even dozen escorts followed the battlewagons out of the Warp. Two of the cruisers seemed to be damaged and one of the escorts simply blew up. Exiting the Warp so close to a gravity well had its dangers.

"Pity neither of the big ones blew up."

Fleet Admiral Geralt Simms was not a happy man as he stared at the display. He had more escorts than the Chaos fleet did. From his readings, he had more fighters and bombers if he added those based on the four habitable planets and myriad stations. He sent orders to scramble them all. He would need them. The orbital weapon platforms would add a significant chunk of firepower as well, but they were immobile. Easy to outflank and destroy from a distance if his mobile forces were lost.

"Kaurava IV is the target." The chief astropath reported to no one's surprise. "Their trajectory puts them..."

"Over the Peninsula of Iseult." Geralt said quietly and the astropath stared at him, his inhuman eyes wide. "That is where the Chaos had their fortress. Figures that is where they are going."

"Can we stop them, sir?" A young ensign asked. Geralt turned to him, face blank and the young human froze.

"Whether we can or not, ensign Koris, we are going to do our duty." The Admiral said quietly. "Yes, they are fearsome. But so are _we!_ We are the _Imperial Navy! We are the line in the stars! We take no crap from anybody!"_ A cheer sounded, with ensign Koris snapping a sharp salute. "All ships, engage the enemy! We hold this line and none of the Chaos filth gets through!"

A priority message chimed and he stepped to his console which darkened to give him privacy. The audio would feed into his implants and no one else could hear except maybe the ship's commissar, who wouldn't talk. The admiral was not surprised to see the Governor General on the screen.

"Admiral?" The commander of the Kaurava System said quietly. "How bad?"

"They have two battlewagons, sir. The correlation of force is adverse. We have a chance as long as I can get the fighters and bombers here in time." Geralt said quietly. "Our ships are good. I checked the readiness just last week. But the numbers don't lie. We might be able to hold them of the planet, sir, but it will cost. Orders?"

"I am releasing the planetary defenses for the quarantine to your control, Admiral." The Governor General said quietly. "If they land, you are cleared to use anything and everything." Geralt stiffened and the Governor General nodded. "Everything."

"We have personnel on Kaurava IV, sir." The Admiral wasn't arguing, just making sure. Many had been caught out by the quarantine and never allowed to leave. Supplies were dropped for outposts and a small science facility, nothing major, but several thousand military personnel in addition to their material. A number of civilian settlements had managed to survive the various incursions somehow and had expanded since the war. He didn't have numbers for _them_. Less than a million in all likelihood.

"If the Ruinous Powers get there, they may try to open what the Blood Ravens closed." The Admiral stiffened at that. He hadn't been here when the war for Kaurava had occurred, but he had heard stories, Everyone had. "If they bring the Warp Storm back, we haven't _seen_ bad."

"No, sir." The Admiral swallowed and nodded. "Understood sir. If needed, I will fire it."

"For what it is worth, you acting under my authorization of the quarantine." The old human on the screen suddenly looked tired. "If they land..."

"You are cleared to Exterminatus Kaurava IV."


	8. Chapter 8

**Kinds**

Mira felt a lot better when she woke. She still hurt, but it was lot less than it had been. The other thing, the thing that made her smile, was Agatha's singing. The sister was singing a hymn of praise to the Emperor and Mira joined in. Her voice wasn't nearly as good as Agatha's but Mira needed the support that faith brought her. They concluded the hymn and Mira opened her eyes to find Agatha sitting beside her bed. She smiled, but then realized that Agatha looked bad. Fatigue, sadness, worry, all of these shone on the blind sister's face.

"Agatha? Is something wrong?" Mira asked, shifting herself a little to try and minimize the pain she felt.

"Nothing you did." Agatha sighed and her face relaxed. "You met the Por'El."

"She wasn't just a nurse, was she?" Mira could not miss the tension that Agatha tried to hide. "Not a problem, Agatha. Did they find out what they needed?" Agatha had no eyes to goggle at her, but the rest of her expression said she was. Mira smiled. "Come on, Agatha. One does not survive long in the Guard without learning to read between the lines. A human appears out of nowhere, left for you to find and you just _leave_ her to rot without asking anything? No. You need answers. It hurt a lot less than an Imperial interrogation would have." She shifted again and winced. "I think."

"You are far calmer than I would have expected." Agatha reached out and took her hand. "Far calmer than _I_ was when it happened to _me_." She grimaced. "Then again, the Enclaves were not the first to interrogate me and the others were far more stringent. Still fairly gentle, but far more stringent."

"I _am_ angry." Mira admitted. "But not with Salierra or your bosses. I can understand why she did it and... She was so _nice_. I never thought to meet a nice... Um..." She paused and Agatha gave her hand a pat.

"The Tau are generally." Agatha replied. "Not all. Their soldiers have taciturn down better than the most disciplined Guard unit I have ever seen. But even _they_ are less straitlaced than Sisters or Space Marines. They are all about efficiency and results, not protocol."

"That is refreshing." Mira smiled and then heaved a sigh. "Will they alter my mind?"

"No." Agatha gave her hand another squeeze. "The Ethereals might have. But we don't have any here."

"What are Ethereals?" Mira asked. "I vaguely remember something about that name from a briefing a while back. But I never faced Tau in battle."

"That is good." Agatha set her hand down, but kept her on Mira's. "I never did either, but I read reports and the Guard are almost completely outclassed. Good thing they don't have huge numbers or the Imperium would be in _big_ trouble."

"So... The Tau are not a problem?" Mira asked, puzzled. Agatha snorted and Mira shook her head. "I am confused."

"I know." Agatha reassured her ."You are probably also hungry. You have been on nutrient osmotic drips for a time to keep you healthy, so you won't really need food. But those don't fill your belly. Up for a walk?"

"I..." Mira swallowed hard. "I don't know."

"Let's see." Agatha took hold of Mira's hand again and urged her up. Mira sat up and then at Agatha's motion, swung her legs off the bed. She stood up and was surprised when she didn't stagger. The bed was lower than she had thought, and Agatha was shorter than Mira by half a head. But the sister's sheer presence was comforting and Mira felt herself relax as Agatha smiled at her.

"How long will I be in this suit?" Mira asked as she rubbed her hands down her sides, and then over her covered ears feeling the not-quite-human cloth texture. She could feel just as she always had and hear fine through it. It felt _almost_ like skin. "It is skin tight, but that is..." She grimaced and then did so again when she realized that such was wasted on Agatha. "It feels both right _and_ wrong."

"We are not sure how long. It takes the place of your outer skin while you regrow it." Agatha said with a small frown. "They have never had a human with such widespread burns survive before. The medics will strive to be gentle, but they _will_ poke and prod, fair warning." Agatha paused and then spoke again. "Do you want a uniform to cover it? It might make you feel better."

"Could you do that?" Mira asked, curious. "I mean, I don't know what I am. A guest? A prisoner? I don't know."

"Right now, you are a _patient_." Agatha said firmly. "Until you decide what you want to do, you won't be allowed to run around loose, but we won't clap you in chains or anything either. I would welcome you among us, but it has to be _your_ choice. If it is pressed... bad things can happen." Her face was far away, her blind eyes seeing something that only she could. "The Emperor will lead you to your path. I cannot."

"You still believe." Mira said softly. "Even living with xenos?" She paused. "With _Tau_." She corrected herself grimly.

"Yes." Agatha said quietly. "Now, we won't give you a _weapon_." She grinned as Mira chuckled.

"I didn't think you would be that stupid." Mira said softly. "But yes, I think I would like a uniform. Cadian pattern. Lieutenant's rank if you can."

"I am pretty sure we can." Agatha said with a nod. "They have a lot of records and... well... They record a lot about who they fight. The Guard here in Kaurava wear Cadian style armor. It works for them." She smiled as Mira's stomach growled again. "Hmm, I think I heard someone being hungry."

"Can't hide anything from you." Mira said with a grin that faded. "One thing. I was in isolation. Am I dangerous now?"

"You were implanted with a very nasty bioweapon." Agatha's face had a savage cast now, but it wasn't directed at Mira. "Add to that, you were exposed to several diseases that might or might not affect the Tau badly. We don't know. We would rather not find out, so you were in here until any reasonable incubation period lapsed. It has. You have been decontaminated as well. You are clean for both bacteriological and viral weapons."

"I can understand that." Mira winced. "Bioweapons are nasty. Effective at times, but nasty. Wait..." She paled as memory struck. " _Salierra_ was in here with me! Is _she_...?" She broke off as Agatha squeezed her hand.

"She is fine." Agatha reassured the soldier. "She was checked over thoroughly going in and out. They wanted to use a drone, let her talk through that. She told them 'hell no!'. She has always preferred a personal touch." Mira stared at the sister who chuckled. "Wait till you see her on a tear. She just might make a _Commissar_ back off."

"I find that very hard to believe." Mira said quietly.

"You have seen her _good_ side." Agatha said with an exaggerated shudder. "Believe me, if you see her angry, you _won't_ forget it." She shuddered again. " _I_ certainly won't even not able to see her. But then again, I deserved her ire."

"Long story there." Mira just shook her head.

"Let's just say that from my earliest memories, I had a very hard head." Mira made a small noise of consternation and Agatha chuckled a little."Oh, yes. I was a bit of a handful at the convent."

"Now, why would that not surprise me?" Mira asked and froze as a piece of the wall opened up and something slid out. "What?"

"Your uniform." Agatha said quietly. Mira spun to stare at her and the sister smiled. "They work fast. We want you as comfortable as we can make you, Mira. We cannot magically wave our hands and make your pain vanish, or new skin grow but we can help. So, we will."

"I..." Mira swallowed hard as she touched the folded uniform and then carefully unfolded it. Indeed, it was a set of Cadian fatigues. It even looked like her size. There was no armor of course, but she felt her eyes burn as she slowly unfolded it all. To waste such effort on a prisoner... But _was_ she a prisoner/ She didn't know.

"We don't know your medals." Agatha said sadly. "Tell us what you want on it and we could fabricate some if you wish."

"Medals just mean I lived when a lot of people didn't." Mira said softly as she slid the pants on, one leg at a time. It hurt, but she managed. Agatha held onto her arm to steady her when she might have stumbled but then released her. "I never felt worthy of them. High Command kept giving them to me, but I never felt worthy of them."

"That means you were." Agatha said softly as Mira pulled the blouse on and slid the fasteners closed. It fit just right. "If you _wanted_ them, then you were a _menace_ and not _worthy_ of them." Mira turned to look at the sister whose face was bleak. "Yes, I knew some who wanted them. It never ended well."

"No." Mira agreed. "It doesn't." She sat back on the bed and pulled the boots on. Just like the rest, the footgear fit her like a second skin. Er, _third_ skin after the medical suit. She paused at an odd thing that had sat at the underneath the pile. It looked like hair but had an odd silver thing on one side. "What is this?"

"Ah. They got it done." Agatha reached out to touch it and smiled. "It's a wig with attached communication device. It's not your real hair, but it will cover your head and it will allow us to reach you in case of emergency."

"You are giving me access to your _coms_?" Mira exclaimed. "What are you, _crazy_?"

"Maybe a little too trusting." Agatha allowed, but did not retreat. "But your access will be restricted. There is also a locator beacon in it."

"If there is not one in the _suit_ , I will eat the _bed_." Mira said flatly.

"Oh, don't do _that_. You have been _sleeping_ on it, it would taste _terrible_." Agatha said with a wicked grin and Mira fought but failed to keep a laugh from bubbling out. "Yes, there is a tracker in the suit. _Every_ piece of clothing they make has trackers embedded. But _this_ one, you can activate in case of emergency. In case something happens and you need help. The other tracker is for location purposes only. If you try to walk into an armory or other restricted area, sure, it will set off alarms. But this... The Por'El thought she was safe aboard. We all did. She wasn't." Agatha looked away. "I was so scared I was going to lose my friend. I have lost so many..." The naked fear on the sister's face when she turned back to Mira touched the soldier deeply.

"You won't lose me if I have anything to say about it." Mira said softly. She took a deep breath and slid the wig onto her head. It felt heavy, but not cumbersome. The metal piece slid over where her right ear was covered by the grey suit and she heard a chime.

"Welcome aboard the Mesme Kai, Lieutenant Mira. Guest access is granted." A neutral voice spoke Gothic in her ear. "If you have questions, you may inquire at any time."

"Ah, thank you?" Mira said weakly, ignoring Agatha's wide smile. "What should I call you? I do not want to be rude."

"Courtesy is not required, but it is appreciated. You may call me 'Ship' or 'Mesme Kai'." The voice replied and Mira felt her face freeze. "I am the main artificial intelligence for this starship and I wish you a pleasant stay." The com clicked off and Mira turned to Agatha. She knew her face held terror.

"I know." Agatha said softly before the soldier could speak. "It took a lot of getting used to for me. You will be uncomfortable. The Tau use artificial intelligences for all kinds of things. And yes, I too know the tales."

"The Techpriests gave me the creeps." Mira admitted with a gulp. "But they were... sort of human."

" _They_ wouldn't say so." Agatha said quietly as she took Mira's hand. "Mira, do you trust me?"

"I..." Mira paused and then slowly covered the sister's hand with her own. "You could lied to me. I never would have known, would I?"

"You would have figured it out." Agatha said with a frown. "And then, you would never have trusted again. The Por'El never lied to you for that exact reason. She knew you would learn the truth sooner or later and you would never trust. Do you _trust_ me, Mira?" Agatha pleaded.

"Yes." Mira said simply. "You could have lied and didn't even though it made your work harder. Most would have lied at least a little. You didn't. Yes, I trust you."

"Good." Agatha said with a sigh of relief. "Then I will say this: It will take _very_ long and _very_ technical explanations for them to explain _why_ AIs are considered a vital part of the Enclaves. They have put a great deal of thought into it, Mira. This isn't one of the horror stories from the Imperium. Yes, there is risk, but the AIs themselves are part of the solution."

"I..." Mira shook her head. "I don't know."

"For now, don't worry about it." Agatha gave Mira a gentle shake. "We can prove it, but it _will_ take time. And look at it this way... No Techpriests." Mira had to smile at the sister's dry wit. "Come on, I can hear your stomach rumbling."

"It's not-" Mira broke off as her stomach rumbled. She stared down at her belly and then at the sister who smirked. "Good ears."

"What can I say?" Agatha's grin was ear to ear now. "You use what you have. Come on."

She led Mira to the door which opened for them. Mira was shaking her head as she exited the room in which she had been confined, but she was willing to wait for an explanation. For a while anyway. Energy washed over them as they stepped into a small corridor and Mira swallowed hard. Agatha gave her hand another squeeze.

"Decontamination." Agatha said softly. "It won't do anything to you. You are completely clean. You have been cleaned every day since you were put in there." Mira made a noise of inquiry and Agatha snorted. "Don't want you stinky." Mira fought her laugh and managed to stifle it this time.

"You are _bad_ , sister Agatha!" Mira complained as the energy wash ended and the door ahead opened.

"Who _me_?" Synth-Butter might not have melted in Agatha's mouth as she led the way into a far larger room., Mira paused at the exit, but Agatha pulled her out even as others in the room turned to look at her. All Tau. "You can gawk _later_ , Mira. _I_ am hungry and _your_ stomach is growling again."

"It's not-" Mira slumped as her stomach _did_ growl. She stared down at it and then at Agatha. "You win."

"Of course I win." Agatha said primly. 'I always win."

"Only when you are not dealing with the Por'El." A voice Mira recognized spoke and a male Tau rose from his console to nod to her. "I am pleased to see you vertical, lieutenant Mira." She returned his nod and he focused on Agatha. "We will need you once you have the lieutenant settled." To Mira's surprise, Agatha seemed to deflate, but the sister nodded. He smiled at Mira who returned it hesitantly. "I hope you do not need our services again anytime soon, lieutenant."

"You and me both, um... What do I call you?" Mira asked with a frown.

"My rank is Fio'El." The Tau said with a smile. "You may all me that."

"Then... I thank you for your care and concern, Fio'El." Mira said formally. "I don't think any human would have done what you did. I am very confused and more than a bit scared by all this." Agatha gave her hand a squeeze and Mira nodded to the sister. "I do not know what will come of all this, but this I know. I won't look at all non-humans like I look at Orks from now on."

"Good." The Fio'El smiled widely. "Since none of _us_ like Orks _either_." Mira seemed at a loss for words and the Tau nodded to her again, turning back to his console.

"Come on, Mira." Agatha said with a shrug. "They have work to do and..."

"I can _hear_ you!" A loud voice sounded from nearby. "We are going to _talk_ , Agatha!" Mira stared as every Tau in the room winced as one. That was Salierra's voice and she _wasn't_ happy.

"Oh dear." Agatha swallowed hard and motioned for Mira to stay put. She moved to a door and froze as it hissed open. Salierra stalked out wearing a gown very similar to the one Mira had been wearing when she had met the Por'El. To Mira's amazement, Agatha bowed deeply to the irate female Tau. "Por'El, you needed the rest. I take responsibility."

"You _drugged_ me!" The diplomat wasn't being very diplomatic as she snarled at Agatha. "I was in control."

"Barely." Agatha said sadly. "Por'El, please. I was very worried. I thought we had lost you." Naked fear sang in her tone. The female Tau stared at her and then threw her hands up in the air in a very human gesture.

"You... You..." Salierra was shaking, but Mira couldn't tell if it was from rage or laughter. "Of all the silly, stupid, _human_..." She heaved a deep sigh and then relaxed. She stepped forward and took Agatha's hands in her own. "You take too much on yourself, Agatha." Her tone was suddenly kind and concerned. "You are not an adolescent or Sister of Battle anymore."

"I know." Agatha said sadly. "I just..." She gasped and wilted as Salierra caught her. "You... Sneaky..."

Mira stared as Salierra laid Agatha down and a medic rushed up to check her vitals. He smiled and nodded to Salierra as a drone hovered close. It had been right behind Agatha and the sister hadn't seen it. It must have sedated her.

"She is asleep and will stay that way for about three Ro'taa." The medic reported. "We will get her to her bed."

"Right. Good." Slaierra turned to Mira who was gaping at her. "Agatha always does too much. Silly human that she is, she simply _cannot_ let others do things that she can. One of the first lessons we Tau learn in leadership school is how to delegate. She never learned that." Her gaze was sad as the drone lifted Agatha up and carried her off. "She can and _will_ push herself into another heart attack if we let her."

" _Another_?" Mira asked, stunned. Salierra nodded and the soldier slumped. "I didn't know."

"How could you?" Salierra asked. "Anyway. She will sleep for six or so of your hours. You need to eat and I need to talk to you."

"About?" Mira asked cautiously.

"Consequences."


	9. Chapter 9

**Consequences**

Mira followed Salierra back into the Tau's room where the alien female sat and indicated another chair near a table. The human manage not to flinch as a silent drone carrying a platter of some kind swooped in just past her head, deposited the platter on the table and left just as silently as it had arrived. Salierra nodded to it as she sat.

"Your meal. We have a supply of human foods for Agatha. She made some recommendations. I hope you like it." The Tau slumped a bit. "I apologize."

"For what?" Mira asked as she examined the platter. An obvious button was set on one side. When she pressed it, the top irised open and she stared at the meal that lay within. She recognized meat, vegetables and a form of bread, but none of it was anything she knew. It did smell good. There was a dull utensil inside the platter and she took hold of it with a frown. It was sort of like a spoon. Sort of.

"For interrogating you while we were getting the suit on you." Salierra said sadly. "We needed to know and-" She paused as Mira held up a hand. "Mira?"

"You were far gentler than the Imperium would have been. Than the Inquisition _was_." Mira said softly. "Did I tell you about Graia?"

"Some. You fought Orks there." Salierra kept her voice low. "Go on. Eat. You need it. We checked and you are not allergic to any of that. I had to apologize. I felt soiled by that."

"Salierra, Por'El of the Farsight Enclaves." Mira took hold of the spoon thing and doled herself a helping of the meat. It was soft enough to cut easily with the spoon. "You didn't _hurt_ me. You came in and helped me _in person_ , despite the danger. You needed to know. I am not angry with you. In your place, I probably would have done the same thing, but I _couldn't_ have been so kind and gentle."

"You are a better person that I would be in such a situation. We Tau can be arrogant and pragmatic if needed." Salierra said with a sigh. "I personally think it doesn't serve the Greater Good when we do evil. There are times when you only _have_ bad choices, when you literally have to choose the lesser of two evils. We strive to limit those times. Thank you for your words. I still feel bad about it."

"I cannot change your feelings. All I can do is offer my understanding as to why you did what you did.." Mira took a bite and paused, amazed at the savory taste. "Ummm. This is good." She smiled after she swallowed. "Much better than field rations."

"Some Fire Warriors tell me that field rations should be shot at enemies as weapons." Salierra said with a grin that Mira shared. "What do you want to do? If we send you to the Imperium forces here, the _best_ you can hope for is a quick death. We did what we did to save your life, but they won't care."

"No." Mira took another bite, savoring the taste. "They won't. They can't. It is not in the Imperium's nature to trust anyone. Especially not their soldiers. Especially not when said soldiers have been out of their control. To my own unit, the 203rd Cadian, I am almost certainly listed as dead by now. If we had won free... I don't know what would have happened."

"You said the Inquisitor took you." Salierra's tone was soft, worried as Mira looked off into space. "But you didn't say why."

"My regiment was sent to Graia to stop the Ork invasion." Mira said quietly. "Graia is a Forge world. They make weapons for the Imperium. Lots of different weapons. But the main ones are Titans." Salierra stiffened and Mira nodded. "This isn't a secret and from what I understand about Tau space, you won't reach that area for a long, long time if ever."

"That explains the Orks' interest." Salierra said in a monotone. Mira nodded. "And you were sent to stop them."

"A _lot_ of Guard were sent to stop them." Mira slumped, as memory flared. "Problem was, the Ork leading the Waaagh was smart. He knew the Imperium would respond so, when he landed, he took over the planetary defenses instead of destroying them." Salierra winced and Mira nodded. "We flew right into a firestorm. My regiment was the only one to make planetfall reasonably intact and most of my commanders were killed the first day. None but me lasted a week."

"Oh." Salierra swallowed and nodded. "I see. But you survived? And that left you in charge."

"Yes." Mira slumped, food forgotten. "It was... I had seen fighting before. My regiment had faced pirates, raiders, Dark Eldar corsairs... Nothing like that. I lost count, Salierra. I tried to remember how many comrades I lost. But I lost _count_." Her voice was tiny as tears started to fall. "I failed them, Salierra. I failed my men."

"No." Salierra reached out to take Mira's hand. "No, you didn't. You said the Ultramarines came. We call their kind Gue'ron'sha. They are fierce warriors who never give up. You never gave up, did you?"

"No." Mira looked down at the blue skinned hand holding hers. "I... I just..."

"You hurt." Salierra said sadly. "You walled yourself off to keep going. To do the job. I know Fire Warriors who have done that. Human or Tau, it hurts you, here." She reached up to touch Mira on the breastbone. Mira nodded. "You are a good person, Mira. A good soldier. You are hurt and recovering. Do not blame yourself for not being able to fight something that there was no way to anticipate or counter. How could you fight someone like that Inquisitor?"

"Titus did." Mira's voice was solemn now. "I doubt the Inquisitor killed him. He wanted to know something that Titus couldn't tell him. When Titus proved difficult, he took me. He wanted to punish me or something. He certainly couldn't use me to break Titus. Titus doesn't care about humans. He cares for the Imperium. The Inquisitor is a threat, I am not sure how or why. But Titus was not happy." Mira chuckled without mirth. "And when a _Space Marine_ gets unhappy? _Lots_ of people get unhappy."

"I bet." Salierra said with a dry smile. "Go on, eat. I have a proposal actually." Mira looked at her but the Tau glanced pointedly at the platter and Mira picked up the spoon again. "Agatha is a good person, but she is not young anymore. She has had one heart attack already. We have her under medical monitoring at all times in case of another. She is a good person and a good friend. I am loathe to lose her."

"I like her too." Mira agreed. "But what does that have to do with me?"

"There is a word in our language." Salierra said quietly. "Gue'vesa. Gue is 'human'. It was originally an insult, but it has become a bit more of a descriptor, if still fairly insulting the way many Tau use it. 'Vesa' is 'helper'. 'Human Helper'. Agatha is the Gue'vesa of this expedition. She was asked to come specifically to help us deal with any humans we encountered outside of battle. I may be a diplomat, but I am wise enough to know I don't know everything. I do not share your faith and it confuses me. But there is nothing inherently wrong with what you believe. You believe in your Emperor."

"Yes." Mira said flatly, uncomfortable with where this conversation was trending.

"I don't." Salierra was unaffected by Mira's tone ."And even if I _did_? What good would it do? I am a xenos." Mira started to protest and the Water Caste diplomat held up a hand. "Hear me out?"

"Okay." Mira took another bite and waited as Salierra gathered her thoughts.

"I have talked with a lot of humans, but most of them were born and raised in our enclaves. Worlds that were taken by Farsight and turned into fortresses against the myriad enemies we face in the stars. In the Empire, that belief would be eradicated. Subsumed into service to the _Ethereals'_ Greater Good." The blue skinned female blew out a deep breath. "Many of the humans in the Enclaves believe that their Emperor sent Farsight to them to help protect them. That the Greater Good we espouse is directed by the Emperor. _We_ don't." The Tau said with a grin that faded. "But they _do_. Agatha does."

"Oh." Mira shook her head. "I still don't understand why you want me."

"Well, first, you are available." Salierra said with a wry smile. "Second, you believe." Mira tensed, but Salierra waved for her to relax. "No, I am not calling you a fanatic. Agatha _was_ one."

"Yes." Mira said softly. "Yes, she was. But now?"

"Now, she is a guide." Salierra said quietly. "A liaison and guide. A helper for us to understand humans. To try to deal with them without violence."

"Salierra, I am _soldier_ , not a sister." Mira protested. "Violence is what I know." She slumped a bit. "All I know."

"That is not true." Salierra reassured her. "If it was, why am I not dead?" Mira would not meet her gaze and the Por'El sighed. "Mira, we could certainly use you. As I say, Agatha is not young anymore. When we took this base back from the humans, we captured a number of Imperial Guard." Mira stiffened and the Por'El nodded. "If this were an Ethereal world, one of them would come. They would scrutinize the prisoners . Those they could use would be put to work. Those who, through stubbornness or stupidity, they could not, would be sent to a re-education camp to learn their place." Mira hissed at that and Salierra nodded. "Yes, it is as bad as you think if not worse. It wouldn't be violent, but it _would_ be inexorable. One day, they would wake and their faith's focus would be the Ethereals instead of their Emperor." Disgust sang and Mira stared at the Tau who nodded. "We don't do that."

"What will you do?" Mira asked softly.

"If we cannot find a way to integrate the prisoners into our midst safely, we will release them." Salierra replied just as quietly. "Put them in lifepods and set them loose. The Imperium would pick them up eventually. What happens after is not our concern."

"I can see that." Mira licked her lip and then made a face as Salierra glanced pointed at her platter again. "Pushy."

"It is my job, Mira." Salierra said with a smile. Mira took another bite and chewed carefully. "I was bred and trained to help expand the influence of the Greater Good as we see it in the Enclaves. Commander Farsight is far too busy defending us to act as a diplomat very often. He is _incredible_ at it as he is at just about everything. But he isn't perfect nor can he be everywhere. Each Caste has to do its part for the Greater Good."

"I can't do that." Mira said with a frown. "I don't believe in your Greater Good."

"You don't need to." The Tau reassured her. "If you remain with us, you will learn what it means. It is not a command to give up everything else you believe in. At least, not with _us_." She qualified. "There have been times when we had to act that way, but it never felt right. Forcing others into the Greater Good is not the way of the Enclaves. If you wish to go, we will put you in a lifepod and send you to the Imperium even knowing that we are sending you to your death."

"I would probably be right back into the Inquisitor's hands." Mira said darkly. Salierra nodded and Mira took another bite to settle her thoughts. "I feel..." She shook her head. "Am I drugged?"

"The short is answer 'yes'. There is a mild calming agent prescribed." Salierra replied. "It is administered directly through the suit. It is not meant to be mild altering, it is intended to help you stay calm when you are in pain all the time. Pain has a way of short circuiting rational thought in any sentient I have ever encountered even when medicated. The point it, I want to offer you a job. What do _you_ want?"

"I really don't know." Mira admitted as she finished her meal and set the spoon down inside the platter. "This is all so new and I feel odd." Salierra nodded. "Do I have to choose now?"

"No." The Tau was kind. "We are in no danger at the moment. There are factions of humans fighting in the system, but none seem to be coming this way. We will have our defenses fully set up shortly." Mira stiffened and Salierra shook her head. "That is not your concern, lieutenant. Right now, you have to _heal_."

"I would feel better with something to do." Mira started as the drone from before appeared, picked up her tray and vanished. She shook her head. "That will take a lot of getting used to."

"Most of our people eat in cafeterias. Some don't want to leave their work however, so drones were set up to make sure they _do_ eat." Salierra shrugged. "They do it to me when I get fixed on a task. Agatha's food is different, so she usually gets it delivered. We could use your help right now. We have a problem with one of the humans who was captured here."

"Oh?" Mira asked carefully.

"Yes." Salierra grimaced. "When we arrived, we had plans to take the garrison prisoner. We managed that, except for one. The Commissar was dead when we arrived to take him into custody. A guardswoman was in his quarters and..." She paused, thinking. "It is weird."

"The Commissar wouldn't have surrendered." Mira said flatly.

"The Fire Warriors didn't tell me what they had planned." Salierra said with a frown. "But I do know that an entire Breaching Team was set to take him." She sighed. "And when they blew their way in, they found the guardswoman and his corpse."

"You are right." Mira mused. "That _is_ strange. What would you want _me_ to do?"

"Talk to her."

* * *

A few minutes later

Mira focused herself and straightened her uniform. Despite the human's misgivings, the Por'El had insisted that Mira wear at least a few of her medals. She focused and then nodded to the two Fire Warriors who stood outside the hatch. The alien armor was jarring to her, but it wasn't bad like the spiky bits that Orks wore. She had to admire the clean lines of their armor, so different from her own carapace set that she missed even now. She also admired the cleanliness and professionalism of the guards. Despite Salierra's reassurances, Mira had almost thought that _all_ Tau were like the diplomat and medic she had met. Nice didn't win wars. She needn't have worried. The Fire Warriors had challenged her professionally as she had approached and then checked her authorization to be present just like any well trained soldiers on security patrol she had ever worked with. She was impressed with their speed. They had a reply in less than a minute and then both nodded to her, raised their weapons out of firing position and stepped to either side of the door.

"Is she awake?" Mira asked. The one on the left nodded. "I am monitored, but please do not enter unless it looks like I am danger of death." The Fire Warriors looked at one another and then nodded as one.

Mira stepped to the door and it hissed open for her. She stepped in and looked around. The cell was small, but fairly comfortable as cells went. The only furnishings were a bunk and a small toilet facility set on one corner. The woman on the bunk wore Guard uniform, but it was oddly tattered. Bandages shone underneath the tatters and Mira's eyes narrowed. Those were _not_ new bandages. But... Why? The base hadn't been attacked before the Tau. Had it? She knew the other could see her and was ignoring her.

"Sergeant Samantha." Mira said as she took one more step into the cell. She was just out of reach of the other now, but she wasn't really afraid. The other radiated despair. There was no response and Mira focused and channeled an old commander of hers. " _Sergeant!_ "

The snarl in command voice had the sergeant off the bunk and straightening to attention before her brain caught up with her body. Mira did not give her time to set herself.

"Is this the best the Kauravan Guard can do?" The bite in Mira's calm tone might have tore the paint off the walls. "Lack of respect for a superior officer?" The sergeant jerked and then looked at her, really seeing her for the first time. The non-commissioned officer's eyes widened. "No. I am not from Kaurava. How I got here is a long and painful story that is not germane at the moment. How long was he hurting you?"

The _only_ person on the base who could _possibly_ have hurt the sergeant in the ways that Mira saw bandaged had been the Commissar. Anyone else, she would have killed. But him? He was in _charge_.

"Lieutenant. I..." The sergeant swallowed hard and Mira shook her head.

"Out of curiosity, _how_ did you do it?" Mira asked, eying in the other woman's wrists. There were marks on her wrists. She had been bound. A lot. The sergeant stared at her and Mira shook her head. "I have known people like that, Sergeant. Bad sorts. But a _Commissar_?" She shivered. The sergeant seemed to wilt, just a little.

"He wasn't always like that, Ma'am." The sergeant seemed one step from crying. "He kept order, but... Not like that. He came back from the quarantine duty, Ma'am." She shook her head, eyes huge. "You have to believe me, Ma'am!"

"Calm down, sergeant." Mira kept her own voice calm and in control to help the other regain her equilibrium. "I am not here to execute you. I want to know what happened."

Instead of answering, the sergeant slowly reached down and pulled her uniform blouse up to expose her stomach. A large field dressing had been put on it and the sergeant pulled it off. Mira felt every ounce of breath in her body flee as she exhaled in shock. On the sergeant's stomach, a symbol had been cut deep into her flesh.

An eight pointed star.


	10. Chapter 10

**Definitive**

"Guards!" Mira snapped and the door hissed open behind her. The sergeant froze as she saw what was behind the lieutenant. "Stay where you are, but make your fields of fire clear. If she moves or changes in _any_ way, _shoot her_. It will be _far_ more merciful death than any other." She took a deep breath. "If _I_ change in any way, shoot _me._ "

"Lieutenant!" One of the Fire Warriors protested.

"The forces of Chaos are _incredibly_ dangerous and insidious, Fire Warrior..." Mira paused. "What is your rank?"

"Shas'la, lieutenant." The Tau said slowly. "Why?"

"Because we have a massive problem here, Shas'la. I need to talk to your commander as soon as possible and neither the sergeant nor I should leave this cell until this is resolved." Mira turned back to the sergeant who eyed her. "What did the Commissar do to you, sergeant?"

"I don't remember it all." The sergeant had frozen when the door had opened and the Tau appeared, but her face was a study. "I went to give a weekly report and then... I was chained to something. He was hurting me and I..." Her face fell and tears started falling. "I prayed and prayed, Ma'am. But he just kept hurting me. I couldn't see what he was doing at first, but then I did. I saw what he carved on my stomach. I know what it means." She slumped. "He said I would be the 'Way'. Whatever that means."

"Nothing good." Mira said flatly as her communicator chimed. "Hold on sergeant. I need to take this call." The sergeant's eyes widened further as Mira touched her communicator and spoke aloud. "Lieutenant Mira here."

"Shas'Vre Vior'la Oxa'are here." A firm voice came from the intercom, not from her communicator. A smart choice in case he needed to ask the sergeant something or issue orders to the guards. He was totally in command. "What is the problem, Lieutenant?"

"What do you know about the Warp, sir?" Mira asked, not taking her eyes from the sergeant whose eyes suddenly lit with hope.

"The _Warp_?" The Tau commander asked, clearly he had not expecting that question. "Isn't that what you humans call the alternate dimension your ships travel through?"

"Yes." Mira said softly. "I am not an expert on it. What I _do_ know is that it is inhabited by malign intelligences." The sudden silence from the com was absolute and Mira forged ahead. "On Graia, I faced an incursion by those intelligences. We call them the Force of Chaos." The sergeant blanched and then nodded slowly, her face smoothing as she relaxed. "Whatever you may think of the Imperium, the Forces of Chaos are _no one's_ friends. The Imperium has been doing battle with them for much of its history."

"I have heard of these Chaos forces but I have never faced them.." The Commander said softly. "I have access to more records than most. These... Chaos. Are they also called the Ruinous Powers?"

"Among other things, sir." Mira nodded to the sergeant who stared at her, dumbfounded. "They don't know about Chaos, sergeant. I will do what I can."

"Please." Sergeant Samantha begged. "Lieutenant, give me the Emperor's Mercy. I can't... I don't want to let them loose through me."

"Sergeant, calm down." Mira said firmly. "If it comes to that, I will do it. I have before. I give you my word, I will if it comes to that. It may not."

"You _know_ what the symbols mean, Lieutenant!" Sergeant Samantha snapped. "I lost my _family_ to the Warp Storm. I _won't_ let that happen again!" She was tensing. To fight or flee, it didn't matter. The guards couldn't possibly miss at this range.

"Sergeant. Stand. Down." Mira snapped, patience fleeing. "They _will_ shoot you but for all we know, your _death_ may _cause_ it." The sergeant stared at her and then wilted completely. "Guards, let her sit, but keep her in your sights." She waited for a noise of acknowledgement and then motioned for the sergeant to sit. The other human did without comment. "Sergeant Samantha, I need to know _everything_ you remember. No matter how horrifying, painful or disgusting it may be, information is the _only_ thing that might -might!- save you _and_ us."

"You can't save me." Samantha said weakly. "Please?" She begged.

"I don't think so either." Mira felt a great weariness rise within her. "But maybe, we can spare the system another Warp Storm."

"What exactly do you believe is going to happen, Lieutenant Mira?" The Tau Commander asked slowly.

"Hell."

* * *

Less than an hour later

Mira had been politely but firmly escorted from the sergeant's cell. Two more Fire Warriors, these with some kind of shotgun-like weapons, had assumed positions outside the sergeant's cell. Mira didn't think it would help if something really nasty came through, but right now, all they had was questions. Some of which she was answering.

"I am no expert." Mira said for about the fifth time. "I have seen some of them manifest in our world. I have fought some of them."

"So conventional weapons can work?" The Shas'Vre had turned out to be a grizzled Tau who looked and sounded extremely competent. She was glad of that.

"Sometimes." Mira temporized. "I... Look, I saw one kind and they were _bad news_. We hurt them with lasguns and other regular weapons, but it cost us. The ones I saw teleported and carried swords made of flame." The Shas'Vre stared at her disbelieving and she grimaced. "I know. I know it sounds crazy. It _is_ crazy. But it is also true. The problem is, I have been told that there are lots of different kinds and not all of them can be hurt by regular weapons." She shook her head. "A _lot_ of Guard usually die when the Ruinous Powers show up."

"Let me show you something." The Por'El said softly as she touched controls. She and the Fio'El were also present but neither had interrupted as the Shas'Vre had grilled her. A series of holos appeared overhead and Mira blanched as she saw what they depicted. Chaos ships fighting Imperial ones. She was no naval person, but the odds were heavily stacked in the Chaos's forces favor. "Are these the same?"

"Yes and no." Mira said softly. "Those are traitors. Ships that betrayed the Imperium and swore allegiance to the powers of Chaos. Every one of them is bad news but the biggest ones?" She pointed at two holograms and they enlarged before her eyes. "Those are old. Some of those ships have been preying on Imperial holdings for thousands of years."

"That is not possible." The Fio'El said firmly. "Humans do not live that long."

"Mira..." The Por'El said softly when Mira turned away, her face bleak. "What is it?"

"Shame." Mira said sadly. "An ancient dishonor that still comes back to haunt everyone who calls or called the Imperium home." The Por'El stepped close, her hand coming to touch Mira's arm but Mira barely felt it. "If you have perused any Imperial records, you have likely found mention of the Horus Heresy."

"Yes." The Por'El sounded confused. "An ancient betrayal by..." She froze. "Oh no. _No_." She hissed in horror.

"By Space Marines." Mira swallowed as the others both stiffened. "Who do not die of natural causes. They were... corrupted by the Ruinous Powers and... turned on the Imperium." Her words were halting and the Por'El drew her close, holding her tight as Mira shivered in fear. "I am sorry. I am sorry. The Emperor sacrificed so much to save us from his own _son_ and we are still fighting the remnants of that horror today. They attacked us on Graia and I couldn't do a damned thing. If not for Titus and the Ultramarines... I would be dead." She was crying now as the Por'El held her.

"Then you are right." The Shas'Vre was shuffling through holograms with literally inhuman speed. "We have a big problem. I have read reports from Fire Warriors who have engaged these Chaos forces you speak of. They are rarely intelligible. The ones that are, are horrifying." Mira nodded, smiled at the Por'El and extricated herself.

"The Warp drives humans mad." Mira worked to keep her voice calm even as the Por'El kept hold of her hand. "Again, I do not know how or why. The only ones who _do_ know, you cannot trust a word they say." Salierra looked at her and Mira shook her head. "Only a fool trusts the Inquisition."

"I don't see why we cannot help the sergeant." The Fio'El said with a frown. "Her wounds are not that serious."

"Her _physical_ wounds, Fio'El." Mira said flatly. The medic stared at her and Mira grimaced. "The most damaging of the wounds that were done to her will have no physical traces, no injury to heal. From what I gathered before your guards came and got me..." She did not glance at the Shas'Vre, but she hadn't been happy at the time. "The planet Kaurava IV is under quarantine because of the Warp Storms that originated there. The Commissar did a tour of duty on one of the orbital stations that enforce the quarantine. He came back changed. Corrupted."

"From what I understand, your Commissars are trained from birth to resist such." Salierra was stunned. Mira nodded. "And he fell prey anyway?"

"No human is proof from such, Por'El." Mira slumped. "I myself might be a threat. Hell, _Space Marines_ fall prey to the corruption and they are _barely_ human. I don't know enough. We need Agatha."

"Waking her will _hurt_ her." The Fio'El protested even as Salierra shook her head. "We can handle this. But... What is this 'Emperor's Mercy' the sergeant is demanding? I didn't think your Emperor _had_ mercy." Mira stiffened and the Por'El gave her hand a warning squeeze. The Lieutenant took a moment to calm down before she spoke.

"The Emperor's Mercy is the last mercy shown to those who cannot be saved. Merciful _death_." Mira said flatly and the Fio'El recoiled. The Shas'Vre looked at her and then nodded once firmly. "She is asking me to shoot her in the head."

"No!" The Fio'El snapped. "I won't allow it!" The Por'El looked horrified and Mira pulled her hand free of the slack one that held it.

"You do not understand and I don't have the words to help you understand." Mira looked at each of the Tau in turn, her face creased by a frown. The Fio'El and Por'El looked horrified and one step from confining Mira for psychiatric review. The Shas'Vre... He was blank. She turned to the Fire Warrior and nodded. "Sir... If the sergeant dies and becomes a portal to the Warp as I fear, a horde of demons will appear _inside_ the base." The Shas'Vre just looked at her and she slumped. "I had a good defense, a strong wall of fire against Orks on Graia. The damn demons teleported _behind_ it and tore my men apart. Sir, _please!_ "

"Our defenses are geared towards the Gue'la fleet and Guard." The Shas'Vre was calm, maybe a bit too calm. Resigned? "We could hold them off almost indefinitely as long as they do not get to the shield generators. But this?" He shook his head. "We couldn't defend against this."

"You _can_." Mira said firmly. "But it _will_ cost. Static defenses won't work against demons or Chaos Space Marines. We learned that to our cost on Graia."

"We don't do that. Holding ground is not our way." The Shas'Vre said with a frown. "Well, we _didn't_. Por'El, Fio'El, I ask to have the _special defense_ assembled ahead of schedule. We will likely need it."

"We do not have anyone trained to _use_ it." The Por'El said with a frown of her own. The Fio'El was glowering at Mira. "Fio'El, she is giving us information that we _asked_ for. Do not blame her that the information is not what we _wanted_."

"You are not killing the sergeant." The medic Tau said flatly. "We can put her in stasis."

"And _then_ what?" Mira worked to keep here tone reasonable, despite the growing ire she was feeling. "Keep her there forever? It is not safe to have her here." Then she relaxed. She hadn't planned to. Was that the drug? "Not that killing her would be safe either, if it is what I think." The Shas'Vre waved for her to continue and she made a face. "She said the Commissar spoke of her being the 'Way'. I think that means she will become a portal to the Warp when she dies. A way past any defenses."

"So, we cannot keep her here and we cannot kill her." The Por'El shook her head. "So... What?"

"Some form of stasis may be the best choice." Mira said that despite her serious misgivings. "At the very least, it will buy us time." She looked at the holo of the system that the Shas'Vre hadn't banished yet and shivered. "If Chaos is here... Then they have a plan. Likely an insane one, but that is what they are. Madmen."

"We need you to talk to the rest of the Guard we captured." The Shas'Vre said after a moment. "In all the records I have seen, corrupted humans led the way for the Chaos incursions." Mira nodded. "IF there are more Chaos spies, we need to know."

"I may not be able to tell." The human was trying hard not to waffle. "But we do not have time to wait for Agatha to wake, do we?"

"No." The Shas'Vre said with a frown. "Por'El, Fio'El, I am invoking Defense Condition Three at this time." The others stiffened but he continued even as Mira looked confused. "We will need you both."

"Are you _sure_ , Shas'Vre?" The Por'El asked, her tone worried. For the _Shas'Vre_ , if Mira was not mistaken!

"Yes." The warrior Tau said firmly and turned to the medic.

"Under protest." The Fio'El snapped.

"Noted." The Shas'Vre said formally and turned to Mira. "Lieutenant Mira, you are human, not Tau. But in such an emergency, I need everyone working in concert. Are you-" He broke off as Mira braced to attention and gave him a sharp salute. He turned to the Por'El, mystified. Salierra wore a huge smile.

"That is her way of showing respect to a superior officer." The Por'El said quietly. "Mira, are you _sure_? They will call this treason."

"Surviving what the Inquisitor did to me will likely be called treason or heresy." Mira dropped the salute when it was clear the Shas'Vre wasn't going to respond. He likely didn't know how. "That said, you have a platoon under guard here? I don't know your methods, but I know _theirs_."

"Yes, thirty seven humans minus the sergeant." The Shas'Vre seemed back on firm ground now. "Thirty six."

"That would be almost two full platoons." Mira mused. "Probably another sergeant. No other officers?"

"Not that we could tell." The Shas'Vre shrugged when Mira looked at him. "We have been busy and all humans look alike to most of us. We will need them to help us recover the An'Kra. We _will_ need it."

"The what?" Mira demanded, confused. The Shas'Vre hit a control and Mira was staring at the largest ground mounted xenos cannon she had ever seen in her _life_. "Oh..."

"I will talk to them."

* * *

A barracks, an hour later

"If they see you, they will be upset. Stay here." Mira said to the guards who had accompanied her. They ignored her. "Do I need to call the Shas'Vre?"

"We are acting on his orders, Lieutenant Mira." The Shas'la on her left said firmly as he hefted the oblong weapon that he carried. "You are not to be left alone with them."

"Gah." Mira thought about swearing, thought better of it. "At least stay close to the door. I will try to hold their attention, but if the Shas'Vre is right and these were sent here as a punishment, then they likely are not the best the Guard has to offer." She shook her head. "I know the type. Let me lead."

"Lieutenant, your safety is our priority."T he Fire Warrior said with a frown that she couldn't see through his helmet.

"You can kill them all, but that does that accomplish?" Mira asked quietly. "If I am lucky, they won't be completely out of discipline and will accept the commands of an officer. If not..." She paused and then shook her head. "I wish I had a pistol." Mira froze as the Fire Warrior on the right took his hand off his long rifle weapon, reached down and took a strange looking pistol from a holster she hadn't seen. He extended it to her, butt first. "Ah..."

"Shas'Vre's orders, Lieutenant Mira." The Fire Warrior stood, the pistol extended to her as she stared at it. "Under Defense Condition Three, he _can_ order such." She took the alien device gingerly and the Fire Warrior pointed to the side of it. "Safety here. Push to disable. Activation stud here. Single shot only. The pulses from this will only pierce armor with a lucky hit at point blank range."

"Arming a _prisoner_." Mira said in a monotone as she noted the big blue button. The rest of the pistol was fairly self explanatory except it had no magazine. "That _cannot_ go over well with his superiors."

"If we all die, I think he won't care." The Fire Warrior said with a grunt and Mira nodded. "I have never fought this threat he spoke of, but I have heard stories."

" _Any_ story you might hear does not do the threat justice, Shas'La." Mira took a deep breath and started for the door ahead, the Fire Warriors following her. "Out of curiosity, what would you call me if I was in your Enclaves, Shas'La?"

"Gue'vesa'ui." The reply came instantly. She looked at him, puzzled and he nodded. "It translates 'team leader of human helpers'."

"That works." Mira said with a smile. "Since I think I about to compound treason and heresy with theft and mutiny, I might be looking for a job soon. Let me handle this. I know the types." The Fire Warrior nodded to her and stayed a step back as she opened the door and stepped through.

No one noticed her.

The barracks wasn't even close to filled and her eyes narrowed as she took in the scene. Two forms in Guard attire were struggling in the midst of a crowd of others. Both male humans were large and brawny, but one was obviously hurt while the other seemed to be playing with his opponent. The hurt one went down suddenly and a loud crack carried all the way to where Mira stood. A bone had broken. The other drew back a kick, but Mira had seen enough.

She aimed her borrowed pistol at the ceiling and squeezed where the Shas'La had indicted. It fired.


	11. Chapter 11

**Diplomacy, Imperial Guard style**

Mira had been expecting something odd from the alien weapon and she was not disappointed. The recoil was higher than any pistol she had ever used, but manageable. The sound was a flat whine instead of the electric bark of a laspistol or sharp crack of an autopistol. The impact of the projectile on the ceiling was a loud 'boom' as whatever energy it discharged detonated on impact. She did not take her eyes off the suddenly silent crowd in front of her. All eyes were on her as the pistol went back to her side.

"Do I have your attention?" Mira asked calmly.

"Who are you?" The large human who had won the fight demanded as he shouldered his way through the throng. Mira just waited, her eyes cold and he swallowed hard. She noted the rank of sergeant on his shoulders as he braced to a credible form of attention. "Lieutenant."

All of the troops behind him did the same, she noted. The one of the floor called something that she couldn't hear and an ugly expression crossed the sergeant's face as he started to turn.

"I believe he spoke to _me_ , sergeant." Mira said calmly, not moving.

"Ah... Yes." The sergeant said slowly. "But Ma'am, that is Mikels." His expression when he looked at her told Mira what she needed to know. The soldier on the floor was a problem, quite probably dangerous.

"Ah, there is one in very unit, sergeant..." She trailed off, eyeing him.

"Sergeant Second Class Chiefson, Ma'am." The sergeant said firmly. "254th Kaurava."

"Lieutenant Mira, 203rd Cadia." Mira replied, ignoring the mutter of 'Cadia' that went through the ranks. "Your Commissar is dead." She was expecting cheers or at the very least a reaction of some kind. No one moved and she sighed. "I didn't do it. The aliens who captured you didn't do it. Sergeant Samantha didn't do it." At that, everything in the bay went still. "She is alive."

"He weren't right, Ma'am." The sergeant said softly. "When he come back from quarantine, he weren't right."

"So Sergeant Samantha told me." Mira said with a frown. "You need to know what is happening and I need to ask some hard questions."

"I will give you something _hard!_ " The man on the floor had gotten up, his wrist hanging at a bad angle. The sergeant growled something vile and started to turn, but paused as Mira waved for him to stop.

"How many times have you beaten that man, sergeant?" Mira asked conversationally. The sergeant stared at her and a small smile graced his lips where the troops couldn't see. "Did it ever get through his head that insulting officers is a bad idea?"

"I am the best here!" The man snapped, his eyes roving Mira's uniform. "What you say, filly? Want a ride?" His voice cut off as her hand came up with the pistol again. Everyone around him moved until he stood alone under Mira's sights.

"Let me guess..." Mira said softly. " _He_ was on quarantine duty too." The sergeant stared at her and then at the soldier who had gone still. "And since then, he hasn't been able to keep it in his _pants_." Not a question.

"No, Ma'am." The sergeant froze and then blanched as Mira took careful aim at Mikels. "Ma'am."

"For the Emperor." Mira said as she fired. Mikels was tossed off his feet by the shot, but he rebounded to them with inhuman speed, his arm healing before her eyes. " _Guard_ , _Down!_ Fire Warriors!"

She fired again and again, her shots missing with the unfamiliar weapon as the _thing_ that had been impersonating Mikels charged her. She noted the Guard doing as she had commanded, ducking and covering, but some kept their eyes up to see what happened. A series of rapid fire shots slammed past her, the blue bolts connecting to the human form, slowing it but not stopping it even as Mikels' hands morphed into long claws. She pulled the trigger again and again, this time hitting her target as the corrupted human bowled into her, knocking her to the floor. Something _loud_ went off right over her and she stared up at the smoking muzzle of the shotgun-like weapon. She scrambled to her feet as the Fire Warriors moved to flank her, both aiming at the fallen form that smoked nearby. It likely wasn't going to rise as torn as it was, but she wasn't going to stop them if they decided to shoot it again. For some foes, there simply was no overkill.

"What is _that?_ " The sergeant asked form where he was watching warily. Mira noted he was looking at the weapon that had stopped Mikels. "I _want_ one."

"Mikels..." One of the female Guard who was watching suddenly retched. "He was..."

"Tell me you didn't sleep with him." Mira stood up slowly, her aim steady on the female guard who shook her head swiftly. "Sergeant?"

"She would have. They was an item before he went." Sergeant Chiefson said with a frown as he rose as well, he was eyeing the Fire Warriors who hadn't moved _or_ lowered their weapons. "He bother me when he come back and I didn' want discipline to go totally away, so I say not in here. He jump me just before you come in."

"Good call, sergeant. You likely saved her life and soul." Mira said softly. "Anyone _else_ just back from quarantine?" She demanded, her pistol ready as she swept the group with her eyes. No one moved. "Sergeant?"

"No, Ma'am." The sergeant said firmly. "Everyone been here for a while. What the hell going on, Ma'am? These are... He was..." He shook his head. "With all due respect, what the _hell_ going on, lieutenant?"

"Everyone relax. Or try to anyway." Mira said as she forced tense muscles to loosen. "The Tau are here to protect me, no more. They could have killed all of you. They didn't."

"Those xenos neuter people and turn them into zombies." A scared voice piped up from the back and Mira glanced to where a slight man in uniform stood shaking. The sergeant had a resigned expression on his face as he turned to face the man.

"And saying such to their _faces_ is a _good_ idea while they have _weapons_ trained on you, guardsman...?" Mira said in a deceptively mild tone.

"Pmurt." The sergeant offered with a groan. "He our resident conspiracy theorist."

"Joy. There is at _least_ one in every unit." Mira said with feeling and then turned to face the guardsman who met her gaze with a gulp. "Guardsman Pmurt, nothing I say or do will convince you. I know that. So I am not going to _try_. What is my rank?"

"Ah, lieutenant?" The guard said with a glance around. No one moved or offered him any assistance.

"That means I bear the responsibility for what is going on here." She shook her head. "You all know what High Command will order with the death of a Commissar and the uncovering of Chaos infiltrators." No one moved, no one seemed to be _breathing_. Such a review always left broken bodies or _dead_ ones in its wake. Innocence meant nothing in such cases. "I don't represent High Command at the moment. I am not in your chain of command."

"Never would have guessed, Lieutenant." The sergeant said dryly, eyeing the Fire Warriors.

"Don't _start_ , sergeant." Mira said with a small smile as she focused on the group. "You know what they will do. I have no love for the Inquisition or its methods. I am here because of an Inquisitor who decided I was inconvenient where I was. He tried to use me to break the will of a Space Marine. Stupid that. I would up in Tau care and they healed my wounds. Not because they needed a slave, but because they wanted information I have. I follow the Emperor as I have my whole life and the enemy that the Emperor himself faced is attacking this system again." At Mira's words, the whole room stilled. She nodded. "No matter our differences, we are Imperial Guard. We hold the line."

'We hold the line' Came muttered from everyone.

"These Tau have never faced Chaos." Mira said quietly. "I _have_. I faced an invasion on a world called Graia. I did not face it alone. I cannot face it alone _here_. I need men at my back I can trust to do the job. Can I trust you?"

"You work with xenos." The sergeant said flatly. Mira nodded. "You trust _them_?"

"More than I trust the _brass_ or the _Inquisition_." Mira retorted with a snort and more than one of the assembled guard smiled at that. "They have their own agenda, their own purpose for being here and no, I do not know what it is. That said, they could have killed me. Instead, they took time to heal wounds that should have killed me even while I was infected with a very nasty bio-agent targeting them specifically." More than one of the guard grimaced at that and Mira nodded. "They have not tried to convert me and as far as I know, they have not probed my orifices or neutered me, guardsman Pmurt." The guardsman in question flushed as more than one of his fellows laughed at him. "That said, they will look to their own interests first. Everyone _does_."

"Our orders was to hold the base." Sergeant Chiefson said softly. "Report any incursions. We failed." Mira nodded.

"They came prepared to _take_ the base, Sergeant." Mira said with a frown. "That said, did you fight?"

"Yes, Ma'am." The sergeant said firmly. "Lots of good it done us. Gassed us and we done woke up here."

"Against some foes, the Guard can only fail, sergeant." Mira's frown deepened. "Thing is, you are alive. The Emperor was with you and I might just know _why_."

"Ma'am?" The sergeant asked slowly.

"You know that really big xenos artillery piece sitting out in the middle of this base?" Mira asked with a grin. The sergeant goggled at her and her smile turned vicious. "I bet the Commissar had the codes to fire it. Even if we cannot find them, these people could figure out how to get around anything the techpriests did to it."

"Ah... Okay Ma'am, but..." The sergeant paused. "It need a target."

"I don't think that will be a problem." Mira said quietly. "The problem, sergeant, is that if we do this, we suddenly paint a big red bull's-eye on us as far as _every_ force in the system is concerned. The Tau have powerful weapons, but against a Chaos force?" She shook her head. "A line needs to be held, guardsmen."

"For xenos?" The female trooper who had spoken snapped. Mira shook her head.

"For _Kaurava_. The Tau will let you go." Mira said into sudden silence. "They will put you in savior pods and send you off to Kaurava I and most likely a quick death by firing squad. I can't go back. The Inquisitor who hurt me is still out here. He will take me again or order me killed. These have promised me protection and I find... I find the Emperor's light in odd places. If you want to go, you are welcome to. _I_ will fight the enemy until my last breath." She was not really surprised when the female guard who had spoken stepped forward.

"Mikels and I were going to be married." The woman said softly. "Without him... I have nothing else to go back to. I am with you, lieutenant." She saluted. "Guardswoman 1st class Simons." Mira returned it.

The sergeant's face was blank as guard after guard stepped forward to salute and introduce themselves to Mira who returned each salute gravely. Finally, he was the only one left and everyone was looking at him. He shook his head.

"I ain't the best sergeant that ever lived, Ma'am." Chiefson said finally. "I ain't so good with words."

"Do I _care_?" Mira asked, her tone cold. He looked at her and she smiled a little. It was _not_ a friendly smile. "Sergeant, I lost most of my regiment on Graia. For a week there, I was in _command_. Yes, it was that bad." Everyone was staring at her as she shuddered in memory. "I was taken and tortured by the Inquisition for speaking my mind about an injustice done to a loyal Space Marine. One who saved my rear end and the remnants of my command. But the Inquisition wanted him, so they took him. I had been touched by him, so they took _me_. I don't care if you are articulate, if you know etiquette for talking to princes or governors or _whatever_. I _care_ if you know how to _fight_." This last was a snarl and more than one of the guard stiffened. "Well?" She demanded of them all. " _Will you fight the enemies of the Emperor_?"

The cheer that erupted as the sergeant stepped forward and saluted should have brought the roof down.

* * *

The Tau Command Center

The three Tau leaders were still in their conference, but the focus had changed.

"She is _good_." The Por' El said softly as she watched the holo of Mira examining her new troops in detail. "She knows her people and their training. She will be a mighty asset."

"She knew we are drugging her." The Shas'Vre warned. "She won't trust us. With good reason." He glared at the Fio'El who scowled back. "If she discovers what you did, _any_ trust she might have will _vanish_."

"Once the initial chemical sequences are done, it won't matter." The Fio'El said firmly. "We will put her and the other females in stasis for the trip home and leave the males here. We need her totally controlled until the sequence are done though." The Por'El was glaring at him now too. "Look, I know you don't like acting this way."

"I am actually _enjoying_ it." The Por'El said flatly. "Deceiving others has always sat wrongly with me. I _like_ being nice to her. The same as I liked being nice to Agatha. It took a long time to win Agatha over, but I was right, once she was, she became a mighty asset. Mira can be too."

"We are not equipped to alter Mira as thoroughly as Agatha was." The Fio'El said with a growl. "We cannot be sure of her loyalty without tighter controls. We need her restrained chemically and physically."

"Where else can she _go_?" The Por'El demanded. She glanced at the Shas'Vre who did not comment. "If she goes back to the Imperium, they will kill her and that would be a waste of a magnificent resource. Yes, I have shifted her thoughts away from her duty by acting motherly. By letting her emotions out past her controls so that she has to deal with _them_. Fio'El, I _do_ like her. For a Gue'la, she is quite special. No."

"For a Gue'la _soldier_ , she is _incredible_. She is focusing on her duty _through_ her emotions." The Shas'Vre said with a nod. "Tough, strong minded and willing to _think_ instead of following blindly. No." Two votes to one and his was deciding when they were in emergency mode.

"We are going to regret this." The Fio'El said flatly. "Without some form of control, she _will_ turn on us."

"Are we become the _Ethereals_ now?" Por'El Salierra asked softly. "'Nothing else must be but complete slavish obedience'? Fio'El, you should not have done that on her downtime. " She shook her head. "What is wrong?" The Shas'Vre looked at her and then at the Fio'El who did not move. "Fio'El. What is _wrong_? You didn't think this way yesterday."

"I..." The Fio'El did not want to answer, but Salierra's gaze was strong. No psychic compulsion could match a Water Caste's glare. "I found my relative's apartment. She and her family were _still there_. The door had been blocked and fire sent through the vents. The invaders never bothered to clean it up." The Por'El gasped and the Shas'Vre shook his head. "The Gue'la are monsters."

"So are _we_." The Por'El said softly. "Don't tell me that we cannot be _just_ as brutal. Mira cannot ever know that _we_ burned her skin off to keep the diseases from our midst. Agatha thinks the Inquisitor did it, but she suspects. She won't say anything, but she _suspects_. Where _else_ would Mira have survived such _except_ in _our_ medical ward?"

"The lieutenant might accept that." The Shas'Vre said with a frown. "She knows the costs of such weapons. A warning through. She is quite like the Fire Caste in some ways. If _we_ hurt one of her soldiers while she is free? All _hell_ will break loose. We do _not_ want her actively fighting us, Fio'El. We don't have nearly the resources to fight her _and_ an outside threat. You shouldn't have started the sequences without consulting us."

"I..." The Fio'El seemed to wilt. "No. No, we do not want that. I am emotional."

"You have a right to it." Salierra said sadly. "But we were all chosen for this mission because of our talents and flexibility. Mira is _my_ responsibility. I will see her taken care of." The Shas'Vre glanced at her and she clarified. "After the test is done and we can leave. The samples?"

"Taken and stored." The Fio'El said flatly. "I wasn't expecting anything, but the airlocks on the storage bunker worked perfectly. The DNA is perfectly preserved and I have divided each sample up across each ship for when we need to flee. The eggs you discovered are also spread out across each ship. Some will make it back to the Enclaves if _any_ of us do."

"Good." The Shas'Vre said flatly. "The special defense is assembled and I have a team training to use it now. They will not be as good as ones trained from the beginning in it, but they will be able to use it. The Ar'ka cannon?"

"The Ar'ka is a mess, but repairable. There are teams working to restore all function as we speak." The Fio'EL said with a grunt. "Apparently the Gue'la used it a few times without the proper safety protocols." All three of them shared a grimace. "They are lucky they didn't blow the moon in _half_ with an overload."

"Mira will want to use it on the Chaos forces." The Por'El said with a frown. "With her emotions free, she feels very strongly about them. Her hate is powerful. As powerful as Agatha's was."

"And when she realizes just how much she has been manipulated?" The Shas'Vre asked.

"Hopefully, she won't until we leave and can get her into stasis. When she wakes, she will be in the Enclaves with a team of specialists like the ones who worked with Agatha. Mental specialists who can help her through it, let her see the good that she can do. Ease her into her new role." The Por'El said with a frown. "If not? The best we can hope for is she kills herself."

"The worst? She tries to kill _us_ like Agatha did."


	12. Chapter 12

**Ar'ka**

Mira felt _wrong_ in this armor. It fit well and one glance at it was all it took to see it was far more protection than her standard issue flak set had been. The back mounted pack that held ammunition, communications, rations, water and all the other usual essentials was far more comfortable and better balanced than any Imperial Guard equipment she had ever worn. That wasn't the problem. The problem was the emblem emblazoned on the front of the red breastplate. A Tau emblem, she had been told it was the Enclave's. It also adorned the angled rectangular plate that was strapped to the left shoulder of the armor. Even the armored boots felt good on her feet, they fit her perfectly. The helmet...? Not quite, but they never _did_ fit right. At least _it_ was good old Imperial Guard issue, green and brown in the Cadian pattern. Even if the Tau had added some communication gear to it, it looked, felt and even _smelled_ right to Mira.

She had wanted to wear _only_ Imperial Guard issue. The base had stocks of everything close to her size. She had argued, in front of her troops and not. She had argued until she was blue in the face, but _none_ of her arguments meant _anything at all_ to the Shas'Vre. He wanted her protected, she _would_ be. She had half expected him to order her to make a command center well behind any defense lines, but he hadn't. That was good, because there were _some_ things she simply would not budge on. She was _not_ going to lead _her_ troops from kilometers behind the lines. That wasn't her way. The Fire Warriors had offered her one of their rifles and she had declined, content to use a standard M36 Kantrael Pattern Lasrifle once she had it properly set up with a zeroed scope and expanded magazine to her satisfaction. After her experience with the pulse pistol, she was fully aware of the power of Tau weapons, but she had no time to gain any experience with them. Better to go into battle with what she knew even if it wasn't as good as what the Tau had.

The armory of the base had been an eye opener. This place hadn't been a popular post for a long, _long_ time. If it had _ever_ been one. The mass of gear available was ancient for the most part. Who the hell used Malacor heavy tanks anymore? The mass of metal certainly _looked_ imposing, but it was a hunk of junk with an inactive reactor. At least the stockpiles of ammunition were sufficient for a company instead of the four short platoons she had. A full strength guard squad was nine guardsmen and a sergeant. She only had one sergeant, Chiefson, and then thirty four other Guard, two of which the Tau medics took one look at and almost unilaterally quarantined. She wasn't sure _what_ the two women had been exposed to, neither did _they_ according to their words, but no one was going to argue when Fire Warriors came for them. So thirty three total plus her. Not such a great start.

On the plus side, the guardsmen's weapons -when they were allowed them again- were in fine order. But again, it was a mixed bag. She had two infantry squads with lasrifles, a heavy weapons squad with two heavy bolters and a lascannon, a two guard sniper team that included guardswoman Simons and five _armor crew_ including Chiefson. Where she was going to get a working _Leman Russ_ for them, she had no idea. All of the vehicles in the armory had all been disabled, in some cases _explosively_ , when the Tau had attacked. The crew thought they _might_ be able to get one Leman Russ working in a day or so but even then, its capability would be limited. It was probably just as well that the Tau didn't try to hold ground. Any conceivable assault would tear right through this force like a chainsword. The Tau had a lot more troops, including some odd armor but Mira wasn't involved with them except peripherally. Again, she was more comfortable with the guards.

Case in point...

Mira fought hard not to salute as she was ushered into the command post and the Shas'Vre nodded to her. Part of her wondered why she was trying to offer a _xenos_ Imperial Guard military courtesy. The rest of her focused on her task at hand.

"Lieutenant." The Tau Commander said quietly. "Report."

"Sir." She nodded back. "The units are equipped and set as best we can make them. We can deploy the troops anywhere close to the armory in a matter of minutes. Anywhere further will require transportation. The armor crew say they can probably get a Leman Russ working by the end of the day, but it will not be mobile."

"If it is not mobile, lieutenant, it is an easy target." The Shas'Vre said with a frown. She nodded.

"Those five are not trained for close quarters battle, sir." Mira said flatly. "Putting them on a firing line is a last resort. They will fight, that I have no question about. But..." She shrugged. "It would be inefficient."

"Pity you were not born Tau, Lieutenant." The Shas'Vre said with a small smile. "You would make a hell of a Fire Warrior." She smiled back but it faded.

"The battle, sir?"

"Ongoing." The Shas'Vre turned to a holo screen and waved Mira to stand beside him. She did and frowned as the hologram's alien language morphed under her eyes to Gothic, the standard language of the Imperium. The Fire Warrior commander looked at her and she shook her head, the visuals changing back to alien script. "Problem?"

"I don't know, sir." Mira admitted. "I could have sworn the script changed to Gothic." The Fire Warrior stiffened and stared at the screen, but the symbols were unintelligible to Mira now. "I must be tired, sir."

"When did you sleep last, Lieutenant?" The Shas'Vre asked, his face grave.

"Sleep, sir? What is this 'sleep' thing you speak of?" Mira quipped and the senior Fire Warrior actually smiled. She shook her head. "Seriously, I got six hours last night, but I don't _feel_ rested. I think... Yes, I felt like this just before the drop on Graia. Pre-battle jitters."

"Ah yes." The Fire Warrior nodded sagely. "The waiting never gets any easier. It gets better, but never really any easier." He shook his head. "The Ar'ka is ready to fire. All we need is a target."

"You _could_ leave." Mira said softly and the Shas'Vre glanced at her. "The cannon is why you came, isn't it?"

"One of the reasons." The Shas'Vre admitted. "The Ethereals ordering the construction of such a thing is not unexpected. Sooner or later, they will come after us. We deny their supremacy and no matter _what_ they spout, they cannot allow any divisions to lessen their authority. We need to know the strengths and weaknesses of the cannon and _that_ means it has to be tested."

"If the Chaos forces hadn't come..." Mira said slowly. "What would you have targeted?"

"Probably the human Governor General's palace." The Shas'Vre said with a grunt. "The Tau here were fleeing. They had been beaten. He didn't let them. From the reports, maybe a _hundred_ Tau escaped the slaughter. Few of those made it home."

"The Imperium has learned the hard way that letting an enemy go is usually a bad idea. They have a tendency to come back wanting revenge. Orks in particular." Mira said sadly. "War is not about right or wrong. It is about survival."

"I know." The Shas'Vre said with a very human sounding sigh. "The original plan was to fire a few shots, then pack up whatever we could and leave before they could respond. But with so much fighting all around, leaving will be problematic. I wish it could target spacecraft, but the cannon's targeting is not that precise."

"They are trying to break the quarantine." Mira said flatly after a long look at the screen where two Imperial cruisers were slugging it out with a Chaos battleship. "They must be after something there. But what?"

"Sir!" A communications Tau spoke up from nearby and both Mira and the Shas'Vre turned to look. "A general broadcast is going out from Kaurava IV.

"Let's hear it." The Shas'Vre said with a nod.

"Rejoice, slaves of the Corpse God!" A grating voice sounded from the speakers. "Your slavery ends today! Your ships and armies mean nothing for the Warp is strong again."

" _Where_ is that coming from?" Mira demanded angrily, then looked apology at the Shas'Vre who waved it away. "If it is on the _planet_..." The Shas'Vre smiled at her feral tone.

"Then we just got a _target_." The Tau agreed.

"it is!" The tech said excitedly. "Sending coordinates now."

"Lieutenant?" The Tau Commander nodded to a console nearby on which a large button started pulsing red. "You lost men to these madmen. The Greater Good will be served by you best, I think."

Mira had a wide smile on her face as she pushed the button. She barely heard her voice speak as an incredible whine sounded nearby. The words that came from her mouth were in the Tau language but they did not register over the sound of the cannon charging. The Shas'Vre did not react, but others glanced at her before returning to their screens.

 _"For the Greater Good!"_

* * *

Space

Nothing could hide the massive power build up that energized the Ar'ka cannon. The Tau didn't bother to try. Nothing could _stop_ it either. The ion cannon technology that had given rise to the massive weapon tore through shields and armor was irrelevant. The bolt that erupted from the cannon was actually slightly less powerful than the bolts that the expeditionary force Tau had fired to decimate the Space Marine and Ork forces on Kaurava II, but the difference was pretty much moot. The bolt tore through space at lightspeed. Against literally astronomical odds, a Chaos Iconoclast raider was in the wrong place at the wrong time and a good third of the nasty ship simply evaporated. But that was a side effect. Not the actual target. It didn't diminish the blast much if _at all_.

The massive blue bolt hit Kaurava IV less than a second after firing.

* * *

Imperial Flagship _Lance of Terra_

"What was _that_? Where did it _come_ from?"

Admiral Geralt tasted blood as he shouted at his sensor crew. At one point, his flagship had taken a pounding from _both_ Chaos battleships and he had been slammed to the deck more than once. One of those battleships was now a drifting hulk, courtesy of a series of adroit bomber attacks that had finally scored a direct hit on its engines and the fury of the orbital defenses which had finished it. He would have to commend the bomber crews and orbital gunners who had scored that kill, it had likely saved his fleet. The other was simply too dangerous for small craft, even escorts, to approach and the cruisers were pounding it every chance they got.

"Massive power reading from the moon of Kaurava II." The sensor tech called. He wasn't the original one. That man had been caught in an explosion and killed. Ensign Koris had also perished in that blast but he had been a credit to his uniform until then. "Sir! Massive energy blast on the Kaurava IV! The bolt hit the Chaos fortress ruins!"

"I think someone didn't like the broadcast." Geralt had to snicker at his own humor. He hadn't liked it either, but he had been a bit busy. He jerked as the Chaos battleship that was covered in Nurgle's touch suddenly lit all of its drives. "Where are _they_ going?" Then he groaned. "Oh, don't tell me..."

"Course is for Kaurava II's moon, sir." The tech said weakly.

"They are going to try and take the cannon." Geralt shook his head. The battle was still going on in earnest. He had nothing to send after the battleship. "Use it against us."

"Sir!" The tech called and Geralt snarled halfheartedly. "New contact!"

"What _now_?" Geralt demanded. But the tech's next exclamation was joyous!

" _Ultramarines_ _ **Strike cruiser**_ _!_ " The tech crowed. "Adeptus Asartes moving to engage the battleship!"

"Praise the _Emperor_!" the Admiral said with a feeling as he stared at the new signal on his holo, marked _Winds of Tallassar_. "Contact them. Notify them of the situation. _Warn_ them about the cannon. We still have a battle to win."

"Yes sir!"The tech spun back and then froze. "Ah, sir... Com for you. It is an Inquisitor."

"What _now_?" Geralt demanded and then sighed. "Shunt it here." He activated the privacy filters and spoke even as the com came alive. "Inquisitor, this is _not_ a good time."

"You will destroy the alien weapon on Kaurava II." The Inquisitor said flatly. His eyes were cold, dark pits and Geralt suddenly felt very alone.

"Inquisitor, we are in the middle of a battle that we may very well not win." Geralt said flatly. "I cannot justify sending _any_ forces to the moon when we are outnumbered almost two to one."

"I do not care for excuses." The Inquisitor showed no emotion at all. "You _will_ send your fleet to Kaurava II and destroy that xenos abomination. Blow the whole _moon_ to pieces if you must, but that is an _order_ , Admiral." The com cut off and Geralt stared at it, stunned. His duty was to Kaurava and the Chaos forces were scattered throughout the system.

"Where did that transmission come from?" Geralt asked in a monotone when he deactivated the filters. The com tech stared at him " _Where_ , damn it!"

"Kaurava IV, sir." The tech replied after a moment, then his face turned scared. "The fortress."

"I see." The Admiral felt his illustrious career fall to pieces around him. "Fleet, prepare to maneuver. Navigation. Plot a course for the moon of Kaurava II but do _not_ execute."

"Sir?" The navigator queried but one glance at the Admiral's face had the abhuman turning back to his displays. The admiral took a deep breath and spoke again.

"Get me the Governor General."

* * *

Moon Base

"I think we have their attention." Mira said with a grim smile for the Shas'vre. He returned it with one that was only slightly forced. The space battle had seemed to pause as the cannon had fired but then the largest ship, a massive and ugly Chaos battleship, had turned towards the moon. Its intent was clear. "How many more shots will you need to test it?"

"As many as we can." The Shas'Vre replied evenly even as he eyed the nasty looking Chaos ship. Then he paused. "Another ship moving on the Chaos force? What is that?"

"Gue'la Space Marines!" A sensor tech replied, naked fear in her voice. Who could _blame_ her? The Emperor's Angels of Death had little regard for _any_ life, let alone _xenos_ life.

"Be calm." Mira said before the Shas'Vre could. "Unless we give them a _reason_ to target us, they will attack the Chaos first. You don't _know_ hate until you have seen how the Space Marines feel about Chaos. As fanatical as they are generally? Their hate soars to new heights when they face Chaos. It is incredible _and_ _terrifying_ to see." She turned to the Shas'Vre. "Sir? My advice is to ignore the Space Marines until and unless they head this way. We cannot target ships in space with the big gun as you say and even if we _could_? It would make them angry."

The Shas'vre winced at that and nodded. "I have fought Gue'ron'sha, your 'Space Marines', before." The old Tau said with a grimace. "And yes, if we can keep from doing so as long as possible, it is far better. The Chaos ship will be here before they can intercept it. Oh, I so wish we could target ships with the Ar'ka."

"Can we use the Ar'Ka to target enemies when they land here?" Mira asked. The Shas'Vre stared at her and then whirled to his techs who started checking displays without being asked.

"Yes." A tech said in a reassured voice a few moments later. "Lower power shots and it will still take time to recharge the capacitors after each discharge. But we _can_!"

"Good thought, lieutenant." The Shas'Vre said with a smile. "You just saved a lot of us."

"Good." Mira paused, why was she suddenly dizzy? "I...?" How had she gotten on the _floor_? Then pain started. _Inside_ her head!

"Lieutenant!" The Shas'Vre's sharp voice came from far away. "Get the Por'El! _Now!_ "

Mira was writhing in agony as something pulled her apart from _inside_ her head. Gentle three fingers hands held her down as she fought to rise. She had to... She _had_ too...

"Easy, Mira." The Por'El's worried voice sounded from close at hand. "Agatha, is it what I fear?"

"Yes." The sister's worried voice cut through Mira's pain and fear like a knife. "Mira, be calm. We will help you." But those words... Memory flooded in and Mira screamed as she saw Tau in medical garb bending towards her with things in their hands. Things that burned with fire that _wasn't_ holy. She started to struggle. "Mira! _No!_ "

"Enough." The Por'El's tone was suddenly stern. "Mira, code Vatish."

Mira felt all volition drain from her, all emotion, all pain. She was suddenly floating on nothing as the Por'El continued to speak. Words that Mira did not know. But she _did!_ She was calm, she was at peace. She _belonged_. She felt a familiar light rise within her and she reached for it, but it was blocked somehow and she cried, bereft. Then it all went away.

"Of all the _stupid_... What was he _thinking?_ " Agatha's muttering was what Mira heard first when she regained consciousness.

"He _wasn't_ supposed to _do_ that. He was angry. He was _wrong_ to do what he did and he _will_ face censure for it if he survives this mess." The Por'El was just as angry. "He was angry but that does not excuse it. Mira, can you hear me?"

"Yes." Mira managed through whatever was holding her. It felt like a cloud, but firm.

"The Fio'El did something to you. It _wasn't_ authorized." The Por'El was somewhere between horror and anger. "You are not going mad. You are integrating."

"Integrating?" Mira asked carefully. Her mind wasn't working right. "Integrating... what?"

"Tau."


	13. Chapter 13

**For the Emperor**

The forces of Chaos were notorious raiders. They had been since the dawn of recorded human history. They appeared, wrought carnage and vanished as quickly as they had come, bent on causing the maximum amount of fear, death and destruction as possible to sate the dark gods that they followed. They were scary, no question. But there were some things that _they_ feared.

With _reason_.

A hymn of battle reverberated through the strike cruiser _Winds of Tallassar_ as Space Marines settled into position. The mixed team of Blood Ravens and Ultramarines had been tasked with a critical mission, disable the enemy ship's engines. The ship bore the mark of Nurgle, so all knew the dangers. The Chaos God of Decay was no joke at _all_. But as always, the Emperor's Angels of Death were up to the task. This was what they had been _made_ for. The impossible.

The massive starship shuddered as it closed with the enemy battlewagon. Enemy fire or something worse? It didn't matter. The countdown had started and as the hymn changed to the Litanies of Hate, the boarding pods flew. Thunderhawks also launched from the mighty ship's bays, but one Space Marine in particular was not aboard any of those. He was _not_ happy about that.

Scout Sergeant Cyrus _defined_ patient most of the time. His job -besides training initiates in all of the myriad things that made them eventually into Blood Ravens if they survived- was to be a ghost. His missions involved stealth and surprise. Rarely did any of his enemies even have a glimmer that he was in the area before he and his hand-picked team struck and vanished just as swiftly, leaving corpses and destruction in their wake. As a sniper, he was almost unparalleled in known Blood Raven history, routinely making shots against high value enemies that left the rest of his battle bothers whistling in silent awe. Silent because if they made noise and spoiled his shots he got... grumpy. The fact that he had been in Aurelia when the Tyranids had struck had been blessing from the Emperor. His knowledge of the enemy had been instrumental in the victories that the insanely outnumbered Blood Ravens had pulled off again and again. He made everything he did look easy. Most of the time.

Right now, though, the veteran sergeant was _fuming_. Not that any casual observer would notice. But _any_ Blood Raven who had ever seen him in action would know. They all stepped _very_ carefully around Cyrus when he got close to losing his temper. He didn't very often, thank the Emperor. Things tended to _explode_.

"Sergeant." Cyrus spun to see Captain Janus approaching. The other Blood Ravens had been deployed with Ultramarine strike forces to attack the Chaos ship. Cyrus could have gladly done the same and he itched to put some bolter rounds in some Chaos scum. Well, that and leave a few 'presents' for them of the explosive variety. The captain was no fool. "You are upset."

"I am a Space Marine, sir." Cyrus replied, stepping hard on his temper. "I do as ordered."

"Indeed you do." Janus nodded. "Which is why I need you to take a squad of my scouts with you and reconnoiter the old Tau base." Cyrus stiffened at that and Janus nodded. "Apparently, just before we arrived, the cannon there fired on the Chaos fortress site."

" _Emperor_." A dash of cold water couldn't have doused Cyrus' ire so fast. He had seen first-hand what the cannon could do. "Do we know who holds it, sir? I know the Guard took the moon, eventually." He hadn't paid a lot of attention at the time. He had been busy trying not to _die_.

"The Imperial forces haven't said, but I assume that since they are freaked about it, they are not in control of it." Janus said with a frown. "I am about to deploy with my Terminators to the battleship. So you are on your own." He smiled. "Just the way you like it?"

"Usually. Orders, sir?" Cyrus asked as he quickly ran a mental catalogue of what he would need. The Ultramarine scouts were good, if not quite Blood Raven quality, then solid, dependable initiates. He had worked with far worse.

"Find out who is in control of that cannon, sergeant." Janus said firmly. "If they are enemies, deal with the situation however you must." He paused and shook his head. "Whoever it was fired on a broadcast by a Chaos scum, so..." He shrugged. "We don't know."

"What is the battleship doing, sir?" Cyrus asked as he turned to a locker that held weapons and pulled out a sniper rifle. The captain wouldn't mind talking to his back. Both were Space Marines and knew that time was the single most precious commodity in any battle. Cyrus' hands flew over the rifle, checking it even though he had checked it less than an hour before. It was his most prized possession, a relic from chapter stores that had been assigned to him during the mess with the Arch Traitor Azariah Kyras. It didn't do a lot of damage for a sniper rifle. At least not initially. Then the nastiness packed into each round started to work, often turning the target into a welter of blood and bone. Extremely accurate to any range Cyrus had ever tried and extremely _quiet_ , the weapon was his choice for such situations.

"Moving toward the moon. Either to bombard the base or drop troops. We are picking up signs of live generators at the base, so they probably have shields to deflect bombardment. Troops is my guess." The Ultramarine replied. "Not sure. Either way, you and your teams will be on your own until we can settle these scum."

"Give them hell, Captain." Cyrus braced to a proper form and gave the captain a proper salute which the Ultramarine returned gravely. Then he was gone. Cyrus did not waste time, as he moved towards the exit of the bay, he lifted a hand and made a circling gesture. His team were at his side in moments.

Cyrus had spent time with the other Blood Ravens determining the various parts of the ship in case of boarding or other ship to ship action. The drop pod bays were not far and his team was joined by nine scouts and a sergeant in Ultramarine colors. He nodded to his colleague who nodded back. Nothing really needed to be said as the teams started boarding the drop pods. This was much of what Space Marine scouts _did_. Gather information for the commanders to use.

The Ultramarine scout nodded to Cyrus and stepped away from the loading for a moment. Cyrus followed and nodded.

"Can we disable such a thing?" The sergeant's name was Killian and Cyrus liked what he saw of the Space Marine. "I know very little of this xenotech." That was another thing Cyrus liked about him, he wasn't afraid to ask questions. A trait far too rare in far too many Space Marines in Cyrus' opinion.

"I have seen some. Some of it _here_. Tau tech is usually a bit fragile." Cyrus said with a frown. "So yes, but I would prefer not to. Let the Guard clean up their mess if we can. Tau weapons have a tendency to go 'boom' if tampered with. _That_ kind of power will make a _hell_ of a mess." It went unsaid that if the scout teams were _anywhere_ nearby when it went boom, _none_ of them would be returning to the Strike Cruiser. One did not join the Space Marines for 'safe' though. "We go in, get the information on who is in control of the cannon, then get out and report. Simple."

"I never picked you for an optimist, Sergeant Cyrus." KJillian said with a grin that faded as Cyrus turned a bleak face to him.

"Part of me died here with far too many initiates, Killian." Cyrus said in tone too quiet for the other scouts to catch. "Time to avenge it _and_ them." Killian looked sharply at the Blood Raven and then reached out with a hand. Cyrus took it and the two Space Marines clasped wrists in an age old tradition of warrior before battle.

The two scout sergeants moved to their pods and entered. They were the last in, they would be the first off. Again, not particularly safe, but they would need to see the battlefield first hand as soon as they arrived. The initiates were singing. None of them were full Space Marines yet, but all had a great deal of experience as scouts. No one passed Cyrus' tutelage without having a _lot_ of combat experience. That was after all in the end, the only true teacher for much of what Space Marines were.

The drop pod slammed into launch position and Cyrus exhaled sharply. The hymn was meant for this particular situation and had a spot reserved for the exhale. He was glad to see all of his scouts doing likewise. Only _fool_ tried to keep their breath when-

 **WHAM!**

As always the massive acceleration tore through Cyrus and it took iron control to keep the words of the hymn going. Two of the scouts could not manage that and they would pay for that later. If there _was_ a later. Drop pods were the Space Marines' go-to method of orbit to ground travel in combat. Thirty seconds from orbit to dirt. It only _felt_ like an eternity. Even with the best gravity dampening technology the Imperium had, the pods were not comfortable or safe. Nothing but a teleporter beat them for speed, however and the tactical advantages were huge. Drop pods allowed entire squads of Space Marines to deploy virtually anywhere on a planet at a moment's notice. Many, many enemies had learned to their cost that Space Marines could -and did!- drop right into the heart of their enemies, targeting commanders, control facilities, and generally wreaking the havoc that was the hallmark of the Adeptus Asartes.

The sergeant was counting and was not surprised when the final retro thruster ignited, slowing the pod to a velocity that wouldn't crush even Space Marines into paste on impact. The pod slammed down and he hit the quick release on his restraints, sliding for the door even as it dropped, showing a barren moonscape. There was atmosphere and he remembered the one time he had scouted the area, totally against Captain Boreale's orders. What the Captain never knew wasn't ever a concern. Cyrus hadn't survived as long as he had by ignoring threats. One quick look around the moon had shown that the Tau were _not_ the upstart band of ideological idiots that Boreale took them for, but would the idiot listen? Hell no. Boreale knew what he knew and no one else had a clue. Even now, Cyrus could hear the captain blathering. He gave himself a savage shake to banish the past. They had a job to do.

A quick hand gesture had the squad fan out. No one seemed to have noticed the pod landing. They were not exactly stealthy, but they _were_ fast and hard to see. Cyrus snarled as something whirred in the distance. A quick flip and his scope was to his flesh and blood eye. His eye narrowed as he saw a Tau drone hovering just beyond the lip of a ridge. So much for infiltrating without being seen. He fired, but the drone _retreated?_

 _What the-?_ Cyrus shook his head and made a savage gesture to the squad. They fled the open area around the pod, seeking shelter among a series of rocks further away even as Cyrus tried to find the drone with his scope. He had a good position and...

Some sixth sense or just long experience had Cyrus hugging the dirt as two small fast _things_ came flying over the hill where the drone had been. He snarled as he saw the seeker missiles. As expected, they slammed into the drop pod, reducing it along with the weapon and ammunition stores within to slag. At least the rather large store of ammunition didn't cook off. That might have ruined his day.

There! He fired and was in motion even as the Tau drone staggered in mid-air. It seemed to hesitate and he smirked as the xenos machine became a tiny fireball. He made a gesture and the squad moved out sharply in order. The dictates of the Codex Astartes were clear on most matters pertaining to Space Marines, but they left some wiggle room when it came to scouting. In this case, he did _not_ want to be anywhere near the pod when the _next_ Tau response came. Scouts wore light armor. Their weapons let them hit far heavier than any human force could dream, but they couldn't take the same punishment that fully armored Space Marines could. He eased up and then keyed his infiltration systems active. Each of his scouts faded from sight as he did. He couldn't keep it up for long, just long enough to clear the area and...

He bit back a groan as he heard something he had been praying not to hear. He waved for his team to pick up the pace and they did. The sound came again, closer and he sighed. This was going to be a _long_ day.

The sound was the hunting cry of a Kroot war party.

* * *

Tau base

The command center was almost empty now. Only a few Fire Warriors stood where techs had been. They were not as good with the sensors or communications, but they would do the job. Almost all Tau who _could_ go were gone.

"We have Gue'la Space Marine scouts on the ground at point seven but we have lost our visual on them. Kroot are in pursuit." The Shas'vre shook his head as he tried to ignore the strangled sounds behind him. A mix of Gothic and Tau splattered with invective in _both_ languages. Mira was not doing well at all. "They are almost certainly going to go for the Ar'Ka. Is Mira functional at all?"

"No." The Por'El said with a snarl that was totally unlike her. "She is fluctuating between thinking she is Mira of the Imperial Guard and Mi'Ria of the Fire Caste."

" _What?_ What _else_ did the Fio'El _do_?" The Shas'Vre spun to stare at Mira and then forced himself to turn back to his consoles.

"I don't think _he_ did this." The Por'El said sadly. "I think it is Mira trying to cope with a sudden influx of Tau information in chemical form overloading her brain. There is a _reason_ it takes teams of specialists to alter minds like this. And a reason it takes _years_. I don't know how to help her, Shas'Vre."

"We need her to command the humans." The Shas'vre said with a grunt. "Without them, we have no choice but to flee. If the Chaos forces take the cannon, they will use it. We have it rigged now and the resulting overload will blow the moon apart. As hostile as space is overhead at the moment, I doubt _any_ of us will get clear."

"Then we get her." Agatha's voice was odd and both Tau spun to stare at her. "Por'El, Shas'vre, stand away." She bent down beside Mira and her hands were suddenly _glowing_ with a bright golden light. Her voice was soft and gentle as the blind sister reached for the whimpering human soldier. "You still have a duty to the Emperor, Mira. Mira, come back to us."

"Agatha!" Mira screamed in agony as Agatha's hand touched her forehead. The scream cut off suddenly and her eyes opened. They held horror. "Agatha. _No_..."

"What will be, will be, Mira." Agatha said sadly. "We didn't intend this. We really _did_ want to help." She slowly collapsed beside Mira who caught her, eyes suddenly welling.

" _Agatha!_ " The Por'El said quickly, but the ancient human shook her head.

"You gave me a new life, Por'El Salierra of the Tau. One I did not deserve. Let me repay the debt." Agatha was slumped beside Mira now, her breath coming in gasps. "Mira, they _do_ mean well. Please. Remember that. No matter what else they do, they _do_ mean well. They wanted to... help..."

"Medic!" Mira pleaded as Agatha fell still beside her. "For the love of the Emperor! Medic!"

"They cannot help me, Mira, I not young anymore. This has hurt me and I can't do it again. I still see the light, but it is out of my reach now. You will need more help." Agatha said weakly. She was sad, but proud. "Don't blame the Fio'El for having emotion. For seeking revenge. We all feel. We all rage. We all hate. He will be punished for what he did to you."

"Agatha." Mira hugged the now still sister tight, tears falling.

"Go do what you have to, Gue'vesa'ui." Agatha's voice was kind now. "I will be here when you return."

"Promise?" Mira begged, her tone oddly childlike.

"Only the Emperor knows what will come, Mira. Even if the worst comes and I _cannot_ be here with you, you are not alone. You will never... _ever_ be alone again, Mira. For... the... Greater... Good." Agatha reached out a trembling hand to touch Mira's brow and the human soldier stiffened. Mira stared down as Agatha's hand fell to her side, but the old human still breathed. She looked from Agatha to the Por'El to the Shas'Vre. Then the human soldier rose and stalked from the command center.

" _Mira_!" The Por'El started to follow, only to freeze as the Shas'vre barred her way.

"Let her go. Get Agatha to the ship. See if the medics can do anything." The Shas'vre said firmly. "And _whatever_ you do, don't let Mira _anywhere_ near the Fio'El while she is conscious. It won't be pretty if you do."

"Shas'Vre..." The Por'El bent down and lifted Agatha. The human wasn't light and the Por'El wasn't large, but she managed.

"We failed." The Shas'vre said with a sigh. "No scanners in here to detect whatever Agatha did. Commander Farsight won't be happy that we didn't get _any_ readings at _all_ on her whatever-the-hell that was." That had been part of the mission of the expedition, get Agatha into a position where she would use some of the fabled powers of the Adeptas Sororitas. If they could examine them, define them, perhaps they could find away to counter the ultra fanatical sisters' abilities.

"We haven't failed yet." The Por'El said firmly. "There were some scanners built into her clothing. Maybe they got something. Shas'Vre, I..."

"Go." The Tau commander turned back to his displays, fully aware that he would never see the Por'El again. He was old for a Tau and this would be his last battle. He paused as he heard the Por'El speak words that called to the heart of every Tau.

"Water cools, Air flows, Earth stands, Fire burns. We are all one in Tau'va." The Por'El was crying softly as she carried Agatha from the command center. "We will remember you, Shas'Vre Vior'la Oxa'are. Hero of the Fire Caste. Make the Gue'la remember you too. For the Greater Good."

"Not going to be a problem, Por'El." The old warrior said with a grim smile as he keyed the Ar'ka cannon live again. His holo showed lots of enemy forces appearing. He spread the blast over several of the closest. He smiled as the sound of the cannon rose and then subsided and half a dozen enemy squads _vanished_ from his holo. "Not going to be a problem at _all_." He hit the control again.

" _For the Greater Good!_ "


	14. Chapter 14

**In space, no one can hear you** _ **DIE**_ **!**

The Chaos battleship shuddered as the strike teams of Space Marines did what they did best. Part of Techmarien Martellus wanted to be there with his battle brothers, scouring the universe of the filth that had for so long plagued the Imperium, but that was not his task this day. Space Marine vessels had very few crew compared to almost any other known ship in existence. Space Marines were simply too rare to leave standing watches or shifting ammunition between weapons as naval crew would do. As a matter of fact, the only Space Marines on the _entire_ strike cruiser at the moment were Martellus and another Techmarine, an Ultramarine named Genadi. The ship was crewed almost entirely by Ultramarine serfs,-humans who had been indoctrinated since birth to serve the chapter as vassals, and servitors, half- human half-machine beings who existed to do menial work that required little thought or oversight. If an enemy happened to figure out how thinly the ship was held, the _Winds of Tallassar_ was in trouble. But for now? The only ones who could possibly take advantage at all were in trouble themselves.

Martellus finished his repair rites to the damaged bridge system he had been focused on and turned back to the console. Genadi was nominally in charge being an Ultramarine, but the other had gone to the engine room to repair a connector that had exploded there killing almost twenty serfs and damaging half a hundred servitors. It spoke of the other's trust that he hadn't even bothered to give instructions, just dashed out as soon as he heard the alarms. Then again, both had been the same places, both served the Omnissiah.

The Techmarine noted a small Tau vessel fleeing from the moon. He directed a serf to calculate firing vectors and sighed in regret as then the results came back and he realized it was beyond engagement range. It was small and looked old. It had to be to have been able to land on the moon. Most modern ships used shuttles to land for several very good reasons. One, few Void capable ships were designed to operate in atmosphere. They could for a few minutes with the proper angling of shields, but after that the structural damage would be catastrophic. Imperial ships in particular were not streamlined for atmosphere. Two, while on the surface, any ship would be hideously vulnerable to attack. His thoughts broke off suddenly and he keyed his com.

"Genadi?" The Techmarine watched his consoles carefully as the _Winds of Tallassar_ came about again under the serf's direction, maintaining the massive vessel's position behind the Chaos ship where the enemy could not fire on it. "Bridge is fully functional again. Status?"

"We will need extensive repairs, but bless the Omnissiah, the damage here wasn't catastrophic. We will need more servitors." The Ultramarine didn't feel the need to comment on the lost serfs. "How goes the battle?"

"Most of our brothers are still alive and fighting." Martellus felt no regret at the loss. _Any_ Space Marine who fell fighting Chaos was a hero to be lauded by the Chapter. "Captain Janus and his Terminator squad have disabled three of the battleship's engines. Your other brothers have wrought all kinds of havoc. Captain Thule and my battle brothers has torn their launch bays to shreds."

"I regret that I once wondered about your Chapter's reputation, brother." Genadi said with a sigh. "I listened to hearsay, to my cost."

"The _old_ Blood Ravens deserved it. We _were_ tainted." Martellus replied coldly, his mind flashing back to a dead world, a battle in a crater with horror almost beyond imagining. A horror he and many had once called 'Chapter Master'. "It has been and _will_ be a long road back. But we _will_ walk it. For the Emperor."

"For the Emperor." Genadi replied. "On my way back to the bridge. Anything else?"

"A Tau ship fled the moon but was out of range before I could lock weapons." Martellus wasn't making excuses, simply stating fact. "Odd though. They don't seem to be heading for any planet and they could have jumped almost from the time I detected them."

"Show me." Genadi said as he entered the bridge Martellus didn't bother to speak, instead he sent a data packet. The other Techmarine could interpret it almost as fast as a logic engine. " _Old_ ship. A decoy?"

"Maybe." It didn't feel quite right to Martellus. The Tau ship was still piling on acceleration but it was heading into deep space. "They are moving very fast and will be outside of augur range in a few minutes."

"The scouts reported an attack by Tau forces." Genadi mused. "Nothing since then."

"If we haven't seen any explosions from here, they are fine." Martellus replied. The Ultramarine turned to look at him and the Blood Raven chuckled without mirth. "You haven't seen Cyrus angry. _Pray_ you never do. I may know no fear of enemies, but he is dang scary when he gets angry. Loyal though. Utterly."

"Funny." Genadi was shaking his head. "Telion is the same way. Quiet until you piss him off and then things get really bad, _really_ fast. A scout sergeant characteristic?"

"Must be." Martellus smiled under his helmet as the back end of the Chaos battleship erupted in fire and the engines of the heretic ship all went dead. "Ah, Captain Janus has done it."

"Did you doubt it?" Genadi asked.

"I don't know him." Martellus shrugged. "He seems competent, but so did _Boreale_." Genadi stiffened and then nodded slowly. "The only true test..."

"...is _battle_." Genadi agreed and then turned as a console flashed. "Janus and the survivors are returning. We lost seven brothers." He bowed his head. "Emperor keep them." Against a _Nurgle_ ship that was an amazingly low casualty tally but each loss would be felt. Remembered. Added to the rolls of honor and thrown at enemies in rage and spite from their bolters.

"We lost three." Martellus said as his own display flashed. "We don't need to hoard our brothers as we once did, but it still makes my blood boil. I want that ship _gone_."

"Wait for the captains." Genadi replied. "Well, wait for Captain Janus, but Captain Thule can chime in over the vox."

"Speaking of captains, one thing I _am_ curious about." Martellus asked as they waited. "Captain Titus went to Graia, but Captain _Sicarus_ leads the Second Company. He has for centuries."

"Ah yes." Genadi growled. "Even Space Marines have _politics_." Martellus froze and then groaned. "Yeah."

"How bad?" The Blood Raven asked.

"No one _died_ , but just _barely_." The Ultramarine replied. "There were...factions who wanted Captain Sicarus to start a successor chapter. The Inquisition was involved."

"Are they ever _not_?" Martellus demanded.

"Not in my experience." A familiar voice had both turning. "Captain Sicarus was occupied so Titus was given temporary command of the Company and went. He had been Captain Sicarus' second in command for a long time." Captain Janus entered the bridge, still clad in his terminator armor. It was covered in foul looking gunk and Martellus was glad his own helmet filters would stop the smell. "Their engines will not be working any time soon and their launch bays are wreckage. I have to say, your Blood Ravens know how to make a mess."

"It's a talent, sir." Martellus said with a grin that faded as the captain turned to the holo display. "All surviving brothers aboard. Orders?"

"Arm torpedoes." Captain Janus ordered. "That ship has polluted the Emperor's sky long enough."

"Yes,-" Genadi broke off as an alarm started blaring. "Sir! _Incoming_ torpedoes! Multiple salvoes! Imperial!"

Martellus froze as he saw the massive salvoes speeding towards them. Such a salvo had to have come from every surviving Imperial ship in system capable of firing such. But why... He groaned in memory. The Imperial forces here thought nothing of slaughtering Space Marines. Or, at least Blood Ravens. Had they thought to add _Ultramarines_ to their tally? Were they _insane_? Calgar would _not_ take that lightly.

"Emergency jump!" The captain commander. No one bothered to argue. At this range, there was no way for the _Winds of Tallassar_ to evade such a salvo. The battleship would take many of them, but the rest would have no trouble tearing through the Space Marine cruiser.

The question was simple: Would the Warp generators cycle up fast enough to avoid the torpedoes that were even now homing on the immobile Space Marine ship? Imperial torpedoes were _supposed_ to have IFF, be able to tell friend from foe. Martellus and most other Space Marines through that a myth. Even if the tech was installed and blessed properly, Imperial Navy sailors probably couldn't get it to _work_. They were _not_ well trained.

All the Asartes could do now was wait and pray to the Emperor for a chance at vengeance.

* * *

Battlecruiser _Lance of Terra_

"Target destroyed, sir." Admiral Geralt reported as the Chaos battleship vanished from his plot. The _Lance of Terra_ , his battered Overlord class flagship, stormed towards the moon of Kaurava II. The rest of his fleet was still engaged with Chaos forces all over the system and they were taking a pounding but between the orbital defenses, and the bomber commands he had detached to each remaining ship commander, they were winning.

"The Ultramarines?" The Governor General snapped, he wasn't happy at all. Having an Inquisitor unilaterally take control of his fleet was bad enough. If what he suspected was true, things were about to get _worse_.

"No signals." Admiral Geralt said slowly. "Sir... An entire _Company_ of Adeptus Asartes? We could have warned them." He was careful to keep his voice level. The commissar standing behind the Governor General had no sense of humor. However, with everything, the Admiral was rapidly ceasing to care.

"I take responsibility." The Governor General shook his head. "It is regrettable, but we _had_ to stop that ship. If they _are_ trying to recreate the Warp Storm, then we are _screwed_. The moon?"

"We are reading torpedo strikes on the surface, but the cannon is still firing. On _what_ , we cannot tell." The Admiral knew that whatever else happened, his career and in almost all probability his _life_ were both over. He wasn't disobeying the Inquisitor's command, not quite. But he _had_ waited to pick up the Governor General and a strike force of Guard and he _also_ had just been party to the murder of a company of loyal Space Marines. The Ultramarines were _not_ the Blood Ravens. They did _not_ take such things quietly. "Orders?"

"Close on the moon and get ready to drop troops." The Governor General said flatly. "Our heavy support in on the way, but if we wait for the Baneblade and base construction materials, we may miss our chance to nip this threat in the bud." He noted the Admiral's expression and smiled. "Come, Admiral. We don't need Space Marines to beat a few Tau."

"And if _they_ dropped troops?" The Admiral asked tightly. The Governor General froze and the Admiral nodded. " _Either_ side? Oh never mind, you will just kill _them_ all."

"I don't care for your tone, Admiral." The Commissar had his hand on his pistol, but the Governor General shook his head.

"The Governor General just started a fight with the _Ultramarines_ , Commissar. You better hope he killed them _all_ and no one will come looking for them. Or, everyone on this ship's lives are forfeit." The Admiral said flatly. "All _you_ can do is kill me. I am an officer of the Imperial Navy. It is what I am. It is what I do. But I serve the Emperor _first_." He stepped right up to the commissar, daring the man to draw and fire. "Go ahead. Gun me down for being the hand that killed the Adeptus Asartes. Give the Governor an _out_." He snarled. "And let me _die_ with my soul _CLEAN_! _You won't!_ " The last was a shout and the Commissar's pistol was coming up.

" _Stand down, Brenn!_ " The Governor General pushed between the two men, his battle claws extended. " _Both_ of you! _I_ take responsibility for this. It was _my_ order, Admiral!" He turned to the Commissar who did not take his eyes from Geralt. "We need him."

"There are others who can take his place." The commissar's gaze swept the bridge, but no one stepped forward. No one moved at all, not even the ship's commissar. "I see discipline has lapsed _significantly_ in the navy." The ship's commissar bristled, but did not reply.

"That was uncalled for, Commissar Brenn." The Governor General said with a snarl as he batted the Commissar's pistol to the side. "Put it way. We have to secure the system and _then_ we can determine guilt. We take the cannon and use it to assault the Chaos fortress site." He glared at the Commissar who met his gaze challengingly. "Commissar... Get the men ready to drop. Now."

"I will be back to ensure _proper_ discipline is maintained everywhere in the Kaurava system." Brenn promised as he holstered his pistol and stalked off the bridge. No one relaxed.

"Antagonizing him is a bad idea, Admiral." The Governor General said mildly. "He will make your life hell."

"With all due respect, Governor General,..." The Admiral turned back to his displays. "We have Chaos raiders all over the system, an unknown force in charge of an incredibly powerful xenos cannon, a possible rogue Inquisitor and _two_ planetary scale assaults to manage. Whether we killed them or not, we have angered the _Ultramarines_ now in addition to the Blood Ravens _and_ the Order of the Sacred Rose. My life expectancy wasn't very long _anyway_. If he wants the job, he can _have_ it." He said with a snap. "There is _someone_ on that moon that the cannon is firing on. Ultramarines or Chaos, either way..." He trailed off. The Governor General winced and nodded.

"Either way it is going to be a fight." The leader of the Guard in Kaurava agreed with a frown. "If needed, you are cleared to fire on the cannon using any and all firepower necessary to breach the shields surrounding it." The admiral looked at him and the Governor general nodded. "And yes, I know what that means. We are going to drop close to it, try to take it by storm before whoever is there can fire on us. If they do, this is going to get bloody fast. It did last time. If I order it, you _will_ fire."

"Yes sir." The Admiral stood up and braced to attention. He saluted the Governor General who returned it. "One thing, has anyone tried to contact the forces stationed there?"

"They don't have the codes to use the cannon or the authorization." The Governor General said with a sigh. "The commissar there could technically fire it, but he would be executed for such." He paused. "Then again, if they were being _overrun_..."

The Admiral glanced at the com tech who nodded and bent to his console.

"Response!" The tech replied, but his voice held confusion. "Codes check out. Sir, they say the Commissar is dead and the Tau control the cannon, but they are free and were trying to keep Chaos forces from taking it. They say Chaos forces are attacking. Vox signal cut off mid-word, sir."

"Trap?" The admiral asked as the Governor General paused. "This place is a _punishment_ detail."

"I know." The Governor General said with a deeper frown. "But if we land anywhere further away and the cannon is _live_ , we will lose hundreds. Closer in, we have a chance. After the battle last time, we traced the control runs for the cannon. We know where the control center for it was located. Did they say who is in command?"

"A Lieutenant Mira, sir." The tech paused. "No Mira is listed in personnel on base."

"Okay, it is a trap." The Governor General nodded savagely. "But we can use that to our advantage. Set up to drop our troops right on top of their position. The xenos don't like shelling their own." No one dared comment on that. "Once we have the cannon under our control, we will need immediate transport to Kaurava IV."

"Should we divert the heavy transports?" Geralt asked, fully aware that if he did, the Chaos forces would take advantage of the change in defenses.

"No." The Governor General said after a moment. "If this is a trap works and we cannot take the cannon immediately, we still might be able to with a sustained assault. Pity those xenos gates stopped working when the Warp Storm faded, but it's probably just as well. Those made my skin crawl."

"Good luck, Governor General." The Admiral said and the commander of Kaurava's human forces nodded and left the bridge. Only after he left did _anyone_ relax.

"Brenn will kill you." The commissar said mildly.

"Of _course_ he will." The Admiral snorted. "But between the _Ultramarines_ , the _Blood Ravens_ , the _Order of the Sacred Rose_ , the _Chaos_ forces and now, the _Tau_..." He shrugged. "I don't have _time_ to be terrified of him. I need you to go to the armory and ready the Vortex torpedoes for loading. They will need your codes to open the vault. Those will break those shields if we need to." What they would do to the moon _beneath_ the shields was horrible to contemplate, especially since there were about to be a sizable number of Imperial Guard on it.

"Sir, if we are in orbit, _we_ may not be able to escape the blast." The Commissar said softly. The Admiral just looked at him and the Commissar had his answer. "Yes sir." He saluted and left the bridge.

* * *

Moon base, in the shadow of the Ar'ka cannon

"They are coming." Mira said as she finished with the Imperial vox. She didn't need it talk to her troops. There were not that many of them. "They will probably drop right on top of us." She stared up at the imposing orange bulk of the Ar'ka cannon and looked away as it discharged again. "It is what I would do."

"Get down!" Simons snapped at her and Mira smiled as she did. A volley of bolts sailed through where she had just been and Simons' long-las cracked. "One Traitor Space Marine down, four more maneuvering to flank."

A cheer went up through the ranks as a Defiler in distance which had been pounding their defensive positions with indirect fire took a direct hit from the Ar'Ka and _melted_. The cannon had helped, but really the only thing that had saved Mira's tiny force was that the base armory had possessed a _large_ quantity of automated Heavy Bolter turrets which she had spaced in elaborate arcs around three different trenches that the guard had built sometime in the past to protect the cannon. The Chaos forces would charge, take horrendous casualties only to find the trench deserted except for traps that went off when they tried to take cover from her teams' fire. Problem was, the Chaos force had a _lot_ of troops. And not _just_ troops.

"Demon! _Demon!_ " Came the call and Mira swung her rifle even as Simons did likewise. A Bloodletter had teleported into the middle of one of her heavy support teams. They had no chance. It was rising from their dismembered bodies as Mira's lasgun bolt and Simons' long-las bolt hit it at almost exactly the same time. Other fire slammed into it and the demon fell, twitched horribly and vanished in a puff of evil looking smoke. A whine from overhead had Mira look up and she nodded, keying her _other_ com as she saw Imperial Guard Valkyries on approach, screened by Vendetta gunships and Imperial Navy fighters.

"Shas'Vre, everything is on schedule. We are in position. Ready for phase two."


	15. Chapter 15

**Meetings**

Mira did not react as the Imperial Guard gunships and Imperial Navy fighters swept down, sowing death and destruction across the Chaos positions. None of the traitors even tried to flee. They stood and died. Her people, what were left of them anyway, were less restrained than their lieutenant, cheering and calling praises to the Emperor as the enemy paid with their lives. The Ar'ka cannon fell silent behind her.

"Ma'am?" Simons, through some odd quirk, had managed to set herself and her spotter to be Mira's bodyguards. Mira hadn't had the time or energy to argue and frankly? The spotter was good with the com and Simons was a lifesaver, literally. Both had earned Mira's thanks several times in the brutal fight.

"Weapons down, people." Mira commanded as she smoothed the camouflage smock that covered her obviously not Imperial Guard armor. It wasn't a perfect disguise by any means, but it would keep people from shooting her on sight. She hoped so anyway. There were Cadian units that wore such smocks as general wear anyway, so it wasn't implausible. "After all, we are one big _happy_ family in the Guard, right? Even if they _are_ going to stand us all against the wall and shoot us, we have to _try_ to warn them about the Chaos infiltrators."

"Ma'am." Chiefson's voice sounded in her ear. "They is landing at the depot. I see Storm Troopers moving into the base. They gots a Commissar."

"Grab whatever is mobile and get to our position, sergeant." Mira said with a growl. "Things are about to get messy."

"Well, then it is a good thing we gots a Chimera running, ains't it?" Chiefson sounded elated and Mira had to smile. The state of the depot had almost brought tears to the sergeant's eyes. His own personal tank had been blown to pieces by some kind of Tau ordnance and she had _really_ thought the man was going to cry.

"I wish I had you in my last unit, sergeant, we _never_ had enough people of the mechanical bent. Get here fast and don't talk to _anybody_." Mira warned. "If they shoot at you, evade. Under _no_ circumstances are you to return fire. Weapons _tight_. We are _not_ enemies, remember? They can probably hear our vox."

"Yah. Out." The derision in Chiefson's words could have cut steel but his transmission ended.

"Report!" Mira called and voices called from up and down the line. So few though, it broke her heart. She had started the battle with two infantry squads and three heavy weapons teams plus her unofficial bodyguards. Now? She would be lucky to field a full squad plus a team and half of heavy weapons. Many of them looked hurt in some way. "Form up, people. We have visitors. I hope they have medics." She said sadly as her people walked, or in some cases staggered into place. Some of the pitiful remnant of her teams had to be helped to stand, but everyone did.

An entire squadron of Valkyries were touching down not too far from the defense lines that Mira had set up. Her eyes narrowed as a squad of Ogyrn stepped off the first one. The commissar with them looked decidedly green and she had to smile at that. The Ogryn's strength and durability were legendary among the Guard, as was their _inability_ to hold their stomach contents in _any_ kind of transport craft. Her smile faded as she saw Karskins, Catachan jungle fighters and other elite forces stepping off and forming a perimeter. Their weapons were _not_ lowered.

"I don't think any of them will be treating our wounds, Ma'am." Simons said very quietly from her place just behind Mira. A glance showed the sniper had her long-las in hand. It wasn't up, but she was ready.

"Calm." Mira said softly. "Everyone _calm_. Weapons _tight_. They are on hair trigger because they think we are a trap." A rumble sounded behind her and many weapons shifted from her people to the noise. Mira keyed her vox. "Sergeant, open up the hatches and step outside, just... not too far outside, if you get my drift."

" _Drop your weapons!_ " A strong and commanding voice bellowed across the field.

"We didn't drop them for the Chaos scum, we _certainly_ won't drop them from anyone else!" Mira retorted, her irate voice carrying. She lowered her voice and activated her vox. "People, get ready... If that _loudmouth_ is in charge, we go with plan 'C'. Make it _cost_ them." All around her, every one of her small force had their weapons ready, if not -quite- aimed. Her muzzle was down, but her finger was inside the trigger guard.

" _You are in no position-_ " The loud voice cut off as a huge human stepped into view. Mira's eyes narrowed as she saw the uniform. He had ornate gauntlets and carried a plasma rifle as if he knew what to do with it. The medals and ornamentation said one thing. High command. Maybe the highest in system.

"Is that who I think it is?" Mira asked Simons who nodded, her hands white knuckled on her long-las. "Calm, Simons. Be _calm_."

"They will kill us all, Ma'am." Simons said flatly but her voice carried and the tension around the small group of survivors mounted. "After what they did to that Ultramarine ship, they _cannot_ have witnesses." Being told about that had shocked the hell out of Mira and her small force. Then Chaos had attacked again and they had been busy staying alive.

"Fortunes of war." The man's calm and assured voice carried easily to Mira and she met his gaze calmly even as his troops completely surrounded her team's position. "Lieutenant Mira, is it? There is some query as to your identity."

"Ask _Inquisitor Thrax_ who I am." Mira said with a growl. She was sure she saw surprise in the other's eyes even across the field. "Not that you can trust _anything_ he says. My name is Mira. My rank is Lieutenant. I serve in the 203rd Cadian. Or... I _did_."

"You...work with the Inquisitor?" The commanding human asked carefully.

"Not a chance in _hell_. Not if he were a _Lord of Terra_ , _**sir**_." The lieutenant hadn't meant to snarl the last, but it carried her emotions clearly. He hadn't introduced himself. "He doesn't _work_ with people. He _uses_ them. He kidnapped me from my unit, tortured me, implanted me with a bioweapon and dropped me to be picked up by _Tau_ of all people. Oh, and if he is _here_? You might ask him about the _Ultramarine_ he has prisoner that he is _experimenting_ on."

"I find that very hard to believe." The man replied, looking around. "Where are the Tau?"

"I have no idea." Mira replied instantly. That was the truth. She truly had no idea where the Tau positions were. "They told me and I quote 'keep the Chaos forces away from the cannon'. What was I going to say? 'No' _They_ had a lot more guns than _we_ did." Also truth.

"I see." The other replied. "Well, as your companions have no doubt told you, I am Vance Stubbs, Governor General of the Kaurava system. Stand down lieutenant. Well fought but this is over." None of her people moved and the man sighed. "This doesn't have to be hard, Lieutenant."

"Yeah. Shooting people who can't fight back isn't hard at _all_." Mira retorted. "But we _can_. So go ahead. Order your men to open fire. We both know you _want_ to. After all, these failed you when they couldn't keep an _overwhelming_ Tau force from taking the base when the commissar here had been taken by _Chaos_." The Governor General froze and Mira smiled. It was not a nice smile. "Just out of curiosity, have any of _your_ men been on quarantine duty recently? If so, you might want to scrutinize them. Or not. Not my problem."

"What are you _blathering_ about?" The loudmouth from before stepped out of the group and Mira's eyes narrowed. Yep. A Commissar. Probably a high ranked one. Mira fought a grin, she was about to indulge in every Guardsman's secret _fantasy_. To talk _back_ to a _Commissar_.

"Nothing major." Mira shrugged dismissively. "Just your run of the mill Chaos infiltration, demons masquerading as humans, death and destruction, High Command being _clueless_ , the _usual_." Her flippant response seemed to baffle the fanatic. "Ah, well, _you_ couldn't be a demon. You don't _smell_ nice enough." Her tone was calm, but her eyes were flashing. "Matter of fact, you smell like a _fool_." Incredulous stares came from all around, but _her_ people snickered.

"Lieutenant!" The Governor General tried to rein her in even as the Lord Commissar seemed to swell, his face purpling. "Drop your weapons! Now!"

"Begging your pardon, _sir_." Mira had very little respect in her tone. "But we have _no_ intention of letting you murder us all so easily for _your_ fuckup." She lowered her left hand from her rifle and splayed out five fingers where no one but her people could see. None of them moved, weapons _still_ not quite readied. " _You_ didn't keep the quarantine secure. _You_ left this xenotech thing here. What did you think, that it would be _useful_ again?" The commissar stepped forward, his pistol coming up, but he stopped as Mira laughed and _every single_ surviving Heavy Bolter turret in the area came alive, swiveling to aim at the newcomers who froze in place. They were caught well away from _any_ semblance of cover. A command from Mira and many of them would die. Mira just shook her head. Her thumb clenched tight into her fist. Four. "Idiots."

"You would kill us all?" The Governor General asked softly as he stared at the turrets.

"I could ask _you_ the same. _These_ fought beside me for survival while _you_ plotted the murder of loyal Space Marines. You don't have a monopoly on savagery, Governor General." Mira said with a shrug. Her pinky clenched. Three. "I don't know where the Tau went, but I am betting than they won't let you have this thing again."

"But we _do_ have you and those turrets are being overridden." The Governor General smiled.

"Do you?" Mira asked with a smile of her own as she clenched her ring finger. Two. All around her, the turrets were powering down and she smiled _wider_. The Governor General stared at her and his smile faltered. "Do you _really_?"

"What have you _done_?" The human demanded even as the Commissar bellowed.

'You will _die_ , traitor!" The Commissar screamed, almost frothing at the mouth now.

"I am not talking to _you_ , you mindless murderer." Mira clenched her middle finger. One. His pistol was up and aimed but she just held her smile. "As for what I have done? Survival trumps stupid rules like ah.. Oh, I don't know. Letting some dipshit in a fancy pointed hat shoot me anytime he feels the _need_ to compensate for the lack of _faith_ or a _dick!_ " She clenched her last finger. "Shas'Vre, now."

Mira closed her eyes along with her team as the world turned white. When she opened her eyes it was to chaos. _Every_ soldier had been staring at her wide eyed as she braced the Commissar. The insanely powerful flash that had been triggered by a meltdown in the Ar'Ka cannon had blinded most of them temporarily. The meltdown had, coincidentally, fused several critical segments of the cannon. It would _never_ function again. If Imperium techpriests tried to repair and use it, the results would be unpleasant to say the least. For anyone on the _moon_ in all likelihood.

" _Down!_ " Simons cried and threw herself at Mira, slamming the lieutenant to the ground as the Commissar fired even while blind. The las bolt tore through where she had been but she was occupied, keying codes. Every single turret in the area, under her control and _not_ , started to explode as the small charges attached to them began to detonate, cooking off their ammunition stores. Tau Fire Warriors were _nothing_ if not thorough and she had worked hard with them to plan this moment.

"On the ground!" Mira screamed and hit another code. The ground under her gave a horrid noise and started to _sink_. A glance showed every one of her people, and the Chimera Chiefson had brought, sinking with her. The dirt under her shifted to show metal that bore a large symbol of the Tau Empire.

There was a very good reason that Mira had placed her defense lines where she had. A reason that no one, not even the Guard who had conquered this place had ever figured out. The Ar'Ka cannon had been built on an artificial hill in the exact center of the old Tau base that served both as stabilizer and cooling medium for the intense heat generated by the insanely powerful weapon. But that wasn't the only reason the cannon had been placed where it had been. The hill was honeycombed with tunnels that had been dug by the _first_ Tau Earth Caste drones to arrive on the moon. Long before the rest had arrived, long before the Tau had renamed the moon Nan Yanoi, the drones had been digging. From what Mira had been told, they hadn't _stopped_ until the pitiful Tau remnants had fled. The part under the Ar'ka was solid. The rest of it?

Mira looked up and smiled as she saw armored clamshells closing. They were not closing fast and she snarled as she saw human heads start to appear around the sides. "Into the Chimera! We move as soon as-" She dove to the side as las fire and other weapons started hitting around her. There was no cover.

A horrible scream sounded from beside Mira and she spun to see Simons collapse, a glob of blue fire eating into her armor. She rose and took aim at the faces she could see and fired, but there were _many_ of them now and her people were dying. She-

"FIRE!" The word was not in Gothic and Mira sighed in relief as _dozens_ of pulse weapons fired from close at hand. She barely noticed the platform she and her people were on come to a stop as the blue bolts slammed up into the mass of humans peering down at Mira and her team. Humans screamed and died. "Shield! Now!"

Three fingered hands grabbed Mira and pulled her away from her people even as grenades started falling from the hole that was still closing. But they hit a shimmering blue thing in mid-air and blew up harmlessly. The las bolts, plasma globs and other things also hit the shield and stopped.

"That won't hold long. Get the survivors _clear_." The Shas'Vre commanded. Mira struggled, but the hands that held her ushered her away even as she fought to stop, to see what was happening. "Gue'Vesa'ui! Your destiny lies _off_ this forsaken rock. Let the Fire Caste shield you. Your survivors will be tended. _Go_!"

"Shas'Vre!" Mira called even as she was hustled into a corridor, tears threatening. Somehow she knew he was not going to retreat. That he hadn't _come_ here to retreat. No, these tunnels made for an excellent killing ground.

There was no reply.

Mira shook off the hands that were still moving her and ran on her own. All around her, Fire Warriors were assisting or in some cases _carrying_ humans forms. Simons was moaning in the hands of a Fire Warrior close at hand! She was still _alive_!

"Simons!" Mira said sharply, but the Fire Warriors at her side wouldn't let her stop. "Is she-?"

"She is badly hurt." The closest Fire Warrior said calmly even as she ran. "But we extinguished the fire in time."

" _How?_ " Mira demanded. Plasma fire couldn't _be_ extinguished. Then she gave herself shake. Probably more Tau tech wizardry. "Never mind. Later. Situation?"

"The hangar is secure as of now." The Fire Warrior said with a nod of approval for her composure. "We cannot guarantee it will _remain_ that way. We have transport ready to move you and your people there, but it is one way. No one can come back. We will collapse the tunnels behind you. None will pursue." Mira fought not to stumble.

"You came here to _die_." Mira said softly. "How does _that_ serve the Greater Good?"

"This place is an _abomination_ , Gue'Vesa'ui." The Fire Warrior said with a snarl. "We came to _destroy_ it and make sure the research that was done here goes _nowhere_ else." Mira paused but a shove got her moving again. "What the Ethereals did here _cannot_ be allowed to be repeated. Transport ahead. Medical drone! We have wounded!" She called as they turned a corner into a larger area with a vehicle that Mira had never seen.

The oddly shaped vehicle didn't look heavily armored. It had two obvious engines and a ramp at the back that exposed a compartment inside. A large multi-barreled gun jutted menacingly off the nose. Before Mira could get a good look at it, she was ushered into the back of the vehicle and hands grabbed her, urging her to sit. A drone hovered nearby, medical gear that she sort of recognized hanging from beneath it. She fought the hands, but something went hiss and she relaxed against her will. She stared _at the Fio'El_.

"I give apology, lieutenant." The Tau medic said sadly. "I was angry, but that is _no_ excuse for what I did. You will sleep long, rest well and hopefully wake in a better place. A place where they can help you. Rest now, Mira Gue'vesa'ui."

She took his words into the deepest of slumber.

* * *

"Go."

The Fire Warrior at the hatch turned to leave even as the Fio'El started treating the wounded. Only _five_ of Mira's team had survived the human fire and _all_ were badly hurt. Mira herself had never noticed the impacts on her own armor or the burns she had sustained through it. Her armor had saved her life, but she was hurt. The Gue'la had _really_ wanted her dead.

"Burn this foul place to _ash_ , Fire Warrior." The Fio'El said sharply.

No one could ever know what had happened here. In this 'reeducation facility' that had turned into something far, far worse. The Ethereals, if they even knew what had gone on here after the massacre, would never speak of it. Farsight and his people would not either, but _they_ had all the records available as well as the DNA stores. They would protect themselves from this horror if needed. All of the experimental subjects were destroyed. Except _one_.

The Fio'El finished treating the horrific burns on the closest guardswoman as the ramp closed. The others had medics and drones tending them. He felt the Devilfish's engines power up and knew they would be moving. A rumble had him pause, but he knew the tunnel was being sealed behind them. He reached down to remove Mira's helmet and bowed his head. The fake human hair slid off, showing patches of Tau like skin underneath. Her DNA was _changing_. He hadn't _known_ when he injected her brain with the formula the true horror of what the Ethereal here had ordered researched. He had only thought that she would experience pain. And she _would_. Far, far more than he could have _ever_ imagined. He hadn't known until after the Shas'Vre had literally dragged him into the isolation cells and shown him the truth after the others had discovered what he had done to Mira.

Killing was inefficient after all.

Why _kill_ an enemy when you can _turn_ them into one of _yours_? The Ethereals had done so with words for centuries as humans counted time. With _this_ , they could do it physically _and_ mentally at the same time and there was no defense. Mira would likely wake thinking she was Tau. _If_ she woke sane. None of the other _eighty-three_ experimental subjects in the cells had been sane. Human, Eldar, Space Marine, all of them driven mad by Ethereal experiments and _still alive_ in the self contained cells even after all this time. There was no way to help them so in the end, the Fire Warriors had shown them mercy, killing them all. The Shas'Vre had made him watch that after what he did to Mira.

The Fio'El buckled himself in beside Mira, took her hand in his and _cried_.


	16. Chapter 16

**Death**

"Where did they _go_?"

The Governor General was in rare form as teams descended into the newly blown open pit that Mira and her traitors had escaped into. The Tau forces had vanished just as thoroughly. He was not in a good mood. Between losing the xenotech cannon, being made a laughingstock by a band of traitors in front of his own forces and the now almost insanely vengeful Commissar at his side, he was _not_ having a good day.

"We will find them and kill them all." The Commissar growled, his gaze wandering, hoping to find an outlet of any kind for his killing rage. The guards around the pair knew better than to stand out at all though. Not right now. But he was no berserker and despite Mira's _utterly_ _**insane**_ provocations, he _wasn't_ a fool. "The prisoner?"

"On the way, sir!" The reporting guard did everything but snap to attention when he spoke and the Governor General hid a smile. The Commissar's rage had a salutary effect on all the Guard present. Even the Ogryns were subdued, the stupid brutes knew the sheer power that dwelt in the huge mountain of human muscle.

They had only one prisoner from the entire force of guards who had been stationed here and that one had been imprisoned _before_ they had arrived. Not that the Governor General cared. All would pay for this insult. All would pay for the loss of the xenotech cannon that had been one of his greatest prizes. He turned as he heard a Chimera in the distance and nodded grimly as another squad of troops descended on lines into the darkness below. There hadn't been any reports, but that wasn't surprising. They wouldn't report until they found something, preferably live prisoners for the Commissar to vent his rage on. But there was something wrong. He wasn't sure what it was. It wasn't coming from the hole, that feeling. He spun in a circle and went still as his Rosarius stopped something. He stared down at the tiny projectile just in time to see it burst into a small explosion,. The force of it knocked him back, but he was unhurt.

"Sniper!" The call went around and the guards scattered into cover. Three squads moved with the Governor General and the Lord Commissar into cover, but where had it come from? There hadn't been any sound. Then one of the guards gave a small cry, batted at his armor and _exploded!_

That wasn't a _Tau_ weapon! Whatever it was, it was utterly silent and there was no sign of the shooter. Another Guard, this one closer to the Governor, blew up in a welter of blood and bone.

"What is that? A boltgun?" The Commissar demanded. No one answered. "Someone find that sniper!"

"Nothing on auspex within two kilometers!" Came a report from a scanner operator. But when she rose from her scanner, she too gave a cry and exploded!

"Whatever hit me was too small to be a bolt, Commissar." The Governor General said flatly. " _Into the hole!_ Everyone! If we stay here, whoever it is picks us off one by one."

"By the numbers! Shield the Governor!" A sergeant called and then he too gave a cry and died.

The Guard did as ordered. They made a living wall around the Governor General and Commissar as the two commanders moved to the hole and slid down the lines. Several more guards died before the Governor General vanished into the gloom.

As soon as he did, the rain of death stopped. The other guards didn't question their good fortune. They followed him into the darkness.

The Chimera bearing the prisoner came to a halt at the hole and the Commissar inside manhandled his prisoner out. He snarled and hurled her over the edge. The fall probably wouldn't kill her. Even if it did? Who cared about the fate of a heretic? Her scream was music to his ears as he and his Storm Troopers slid down the ropes.

* * *

3 kilometers away, atop a ridge

Scout Sergeant Cyrus wasn't angry now. Oh no. He was so far beyond anger than he felt calm. He had taken his shot, but his relic had failed to kill the hated one that he had so wanted to kill. It wasn't the rifle's fault, Cyrus knew that. His rage was spent. He was spent. He was-

"Sergeant Cyrus."

The voice came from behind him and Cyrus spun, rifle ready only to freeze, gaping at what he saw. This was _impossible_! No Space Marine in _Terminator Armor_ could have possibly crept up behind him, even when he was focused on his scope. And the _armor_... Cyrus stiffened as he realized that 1) The armor was _silver_ and 2) The warrior bore a huge two handed sword that wasn't a power weapon, or a force weapon, or anything _else_ that Cyrus knew. But he knew. He _knew_ who had surprised him. He slowly lowered his rifle and bowed his head.

"Again, I have failed my brothers." The Blood Raven said sadly.

"No." The Grey Knight's voice was almost kind. "You have not, Sergeant. But the death of the Governor General is not your duty this day."

"He _killed_ my brothers _again!_ " Cyrus did not scream that. He was so disciplined that a scream for him was barely a sharp cry for anyone else. "Just as he did _before_. Just as he killed _yours!_ "

"He _will_ answer for that, Sergeant." The Grey Knight said firmly. "Perhaps to us, perhaps to your chapter, perhaps to the Sisters, perhaps only to the Emperor. But _this_ day, you have _another_ duty." His voice turned stern. "Will you deny it?"

"I..." Cyrus stared down the hill at where his squad waited. They could see he wasn't alone but he had ordered them to stay put and they _had_. Killian was around somewhere. The Kroot had vanished into a hidden tunnel after pursuing both squads for a time. Killian had taken his squad to lay in ambush in case the aliens returned and Cyrus had taken up position just in time to see the Imperial Guard land. Then he had gotten his fondest, most fervent _dream_. A shot at the Governor General and perfectly justified with the attack on the _Winds of Tallassar_. Cyrus looked to where the xenotech cannon lay melted and shook his head. "No one controls the cannon now. Janus' last command to me is done."

"That is not what I speak of, Sergeant." The Terminator said with a snarl. "Or do you deny what you _are_ , Blood Raven?"

"I don't know _what_ I am anymore." Cyrus' felt his world fall apart with those soft words. "For so long, I just did as I did. Fought the enemy, wherever he lurked. But now? So many questions. So many lies. So much... Too much." He shook his head. "I believed in the Chapter and now? I do not know _what_ to believe." To his amazement, the Grey Knight chuckled but with little mirth. "What?"

"Moriah was right." The warrior of _the_ most secretive chapter of Adeptus Asartes in _existence_ said softly. "Even when you don't _know_ , most of you do the right thing _anyway_. Your faith has been tested sorely, Sergeant Cyrus and if you had faltered, the enemy would have found foothold. But you held firm."

"I don't feel firm." Cyrus said weakly even as he felt something from the other. A gentle push of some kind. Not a mental attack or anything he knew. Almost a brotherly pat on the shoulder.

"Who is it who teaches his students 'Be as a reed in the wind. Bend but do not break. Rebound and strike with all fury'?" The Grey Knight asked with a smile in his tone now. "Or was that some _other_ Sergeant Cyrus?"

"Have we met?" Cyrus asked. The Grey Knight shook his head. "I wouldn't remember, would I?"

Most Space Marines had their memories purged any time after dealing with the Grey Knights and their eternal foes. It was simple common sense. Even Space Marines as exceptional as they were, often could not handle what the Knights did.

"You don't remember your Primarch." The Grey Knight replied. "There is a reason for that, but Blood Raven..." He raised his blade in salute. "Not all secrets are _bad_ or for _bad_ reasons." Then, in a flash of golden energy, he was gone.

" _What_ duty?" Cyrus asked the empty air. He went still as his vox crackled and a familiar voice sounded.

"Thule to ground forces, hold fast." The dreadnought's voice held terrible promise. "We are dealing with the situation in space."

"How did he _know?_ " Cyrus slid down the hill to his squad even as they all beamed. Their brothers lived!

* * *

Space

They had no chance at _all_.

The _Lance of Terra_ was in high orbit over the site of the xenos cannon. There had been no communication with the Governor General since the landing. Admiral Geralt wasn't entirely sure how to take that, but the lack of Commissar Breen breathing down his neck -or _shooting_ him!- was a plus.

One moment, the skies were utterly clear over the moon of Kaurava II and then all hell broke loose. A dozen ThunderHawk gunships slammed _out_ of the atmosphere of Kaurava II on an intercept course with the battlecruiser even as four Cestus assault rams tore _up_ from the surface of the moon. How had they gotten so close? The Admiral had seconds to react and that simply wasn't enough time.

"How the-" The admiral barely had time to notice the bright blue paintjobs on that coated the assault craft before golden energy appeared in the middle of his bridge. A teleporter! But what appeared was not Ultramarine blue. No. The Terminators, all _ten_ of them, bore the markings of _Blood Ravens_. He hesitated. None of _them_ did. His command to surrender died with him. His command staff followed him in death and the Terminators strode out of the bridge in battle order. All around, alarms were blaring and the sounds of shots and screams resounded. The Admiral was only the first to fall as Ultramarines and Blood Ravens reprised what they had done earlier, but this time to an _Imperial_ ship. No one would dare question _this_ attack. Not even _Segementum Command_ would dare Marneus Calgar's wrath. The admiral was the first to die, but the rest of his crew would soon do the same.

You did _not_ attack the Ultramarines and live to brag about it. The Blood Ravens were just along for the ride. And their own share of vengeance.

* * *

Moon Tunnels

The Governor General was worried. This was not what it was supposed to be. The bodies of guards lay strewn everywhere at the bottom of the hole, but there were not nearly enough to account for the forces he had sent down. There was no sign of the others and the vox was unreliable in this... place. He hadn't seen this when he had taken the moon. No one had suspected that the plateau the cannon sat on was _hollow_. Someone would pay for that oversight, but right now? He watched as the Commissar vented his wrath.

" _WHERE DID THEY GO?_ " Commissar Brenn had a very loud voice. Some in the Guard said his unamplified voice could be heard over an artillery barrage. An exaggeration, but not by much. He slapped the Guardswoman who was held up in front of him again. She met his gaze calmly. Odd that. Her expression held resignation but it was also hinted of satisfaction.

The Governor General did not interfere. It wasn't his place. But this bothered him. Not that fact that the woman's legs dangled, broken from her fall into the hole. Something about this whole _situation_ was bothering him, but he wasn't sure what. He turned to his command squad and they met his gaze firmly. All but one. The Commissar, Samuels, was shaking his head, but did not interfere with Brenn's rant. He would have just shot the woman and been done with it. Karskin commandos Fisch and Loso were as calm as ever. They had seen Brenn do worse. Jiminex, the priest assigned to the Command Squad was praying. For Brenn? For the prisoner? For himself? Hard to say. It was the last member of the squad who the Governor General focused on. The one that bothered him the most although he was never going to say that. Never going to show weakness in such a way. But psykers of any kind freaked him out, even Sanctioned ones.

"Corva?" The Governor General asked quietly when Brenn wound down. "Problem?"

"I do not know." The voice from under the hood was hard to discern. It was impossible to tell if it was male or female. It didn't really matter. Any psyker would be denied the ability to reproduce as a matter of course when discovered. The psyker leaned on the gem encrusted staff that provided a grounding of some kind for sanctioned powers. "I sense an oddity in the prisoner. Something that is not right." The Governor General stared at the psyker and then paled.

"Brenn." The Commissar turned at the Governor General's command. "Let a medic scan her." The Commissar opened his mouth to argue, but stopped when the Governor General shook his head.

"Fine, fine. Whatever." The Commissar snarled with ill grace as the Governor General waved a medic from the guard squad that was closest forward. The woman skirted the irate commissar warily and pulled an auspex out to start her scans. "When the medic done, she is _mine_. You _will_ pay, heretic!"

The Governor General listened with one ear, but his gaze was split between the psyker who had tensed and the medic who looked confused. "Medic?"

"She is _dying_." The medic said slowly. "There is a slow acting neurotoxin working in her brain. She cannot last more than few more hours." The broken guardswoman smiled at the Governor General, her bloodied mouth forming a prayer? A curse? Hard to say. Brenn had broken her jaw. "This makes no sense!"

" _No!_ " Brenn screamed, his pistol coming up. "She will _not_ escape the Emperor's Justice!" The medic dove out of the way as Brenn leveled his las pistol. Both of the guards holding the prisoner blanched, but no one dared move. They might draw his ire. Or his fire.

Someone else did.

" _NO!_ " Corva screamed as the psyker drove forward, trying to get to Brenn. " _Stop!_ She is attuned to-"

Too late, Brenn fired. The prisoner jerked as the bolt struck her forehead and...was absorbed by something. She arced, her mouth drawn into a silent scream as her body convulsed. The guards holding her screamed in fear and pain as energy flared all around her. They were consumed by it, but she _wasn't_. Dark, evil energy started to swirl around her, pulling her into the air, the palpable evil that surrounded her growing in size and intensity.

"...the Warp." Corva muttered weakly as _everything_ in the area suddenly stopped. "We should run. _Now_." The Governor General did not move and no one else dared even as Brenn fired again and again at the now floating Guardswoman. "Stop that, you fool! You will _kill_ us all!"

"What did you call me?" Brenn demanded angrily only to freeze as _another_ voice sounded. Not from any normal human throat.

"The pitiful wretch called you a fool." A form out of nightmare strode out of the coruscating energy and slowly, ever so slowly stretched, ignoring the many weapons that were now trained on... him? Yes. Him. A traitor Space Marine who smiled pointed teeth at the now terrified Guard. "And it is _so_ right. Well _done_ Commissar. I couldn't have betrayed your Corpse Emperor better _myself_."

"Who are _you_?" The Governor General demanded even as he took aim with both storm bolter and plasma rifle. The Chaos Space Marine laughed and the sound skittered around the tunnel as if on claws. "Who _are_ you?"

"You do not _remember_ me?" The other affected hurt feelings. "Ah, Vance,... May I call you Vance? You did _so_ _**well**_. The Dark Gods were _well_ pleased with your sacrifices. Admittedly, that moron Boreale was not even _close_ to the Blood Raven's finest but you made the Dark Gods _proud_ that day. It only took Orks _and_ Tau weakening them to get you to gather up your courage."

"Die, Heretic!" Brenn snapped as he leveled his laspistol and fired. The laser bolt glanced off the traitor's armor with no apparent effect. The Chaos Space Marine raised a finger and wagged it slowly from side to side.

"Well, _that_ was rude." The ancient traitor chuckled darkly as he raised an armored hand that suddenly had a long, cruel scythe in it.

"Guard!" The Governor General snapped. The troops all around took aim, some kneeling to do so. "Ready..."

"Now, now, Vance... no need to be hasty." The Chaos Space Marine said with a maniacal grin. "I will leave as soon as this pitiful excuse for a Guard expires. Of course, I will go back to Kaurava IV where I will use her soul to open the rifts again, but hey, it's not like you need the Blood Ravens or anybody to close those. You can do it all yourself. You have said that so often since you slaughtered them. Here is your chance to _prove_ it. I will meet you on Kaurava IV. Bring your armies, your tanks, your _everything_. We will savor your despair before we finally let you die."

"You are going _nowhere_ , traitor..." Brenn snapped and then gasped as the polearm flicked out, its haft elongating fluidly. The Governor General stared as the wicked head buried itself in Brenn's torso. The Commissar had time to scream once and then he _vanished_ , consumed by the terrible weapon. The Chaos traitor... _licked his lips!_ The energy surrounding him pulsed outward, surrounding every living thing in the area. A huge misshapen form appeared behind the traitor. Some kind of demon. The Governor General gasped, the _pain_...

"Fanaticism is so _tasty_." The other said with glee. "The shock when they realize that no matter their bluster, they are utterly screwed is just so _sweet_. You will _all_ -"

His glee cut off with his words as a gleaming thing flew through the air to slam into him. He jerked backward as it resolved onto a power sword! It looked...wrong as it clattered to the floor. All eyes turned to the portal where Inquisitor Thrax stood, the Blood Raven from before beside him. A chain led from the Inquisitor's hands to another form, _another_ Space Marine who was shaking in anger. The second Space Marine was unarmored and bound in several ways, but the energy from the Chaos traitor was flowing _around_ the Inquisitor and into him.

"You asked his name It is Carron. And he will _not_ leave this tunnel alive."

Whatever the traitor might have said in response was cut off by a mass of _pulse_ fire from the shadows.


	17. Chapter 17

**Allies of the 'sort of' kind**

For a moment, the Governor General just froze as the bright blue bolts tore into the Traitor Space Marine and the huge form behind him. He knew what they were. He also knew that if _they_ were here, then _none_ of the men he had sent into this place would be coming out in anything except bodybags. That was his first thought. The second? The Tau were not firing at his men! Some of the guard spun, weapons taking aim at the shadows, but they didn't have targets, just the muzzle flashes of the xenos weapons. They did not fire, they waited for orders.

"Target the _traitor!_ " He snapped, putting actions to words. His plasma rifle spewed out its fiery payload even as dozens of lasguns shifted aim and fired at the Chaos Space Marine who stood under the onslaught and... _laughed_.

"No!" The psyker at his side screamed as power roiled all around the Guard. "Target the portal! Kill the the-"

The psyker screamed anew as the traitor's scythe lashed out again, the haft impossibly long for just a second. This time, the evil blade buried itself in Corva and the psyker gave a thin wail before vanishing just as Brenn had.

"Get out of here, Governor General!" The Inquisitor snapped. "All you morons do is _feed_ it!"

"Oh no." The thing behind the Chaos Space Marine said coldly. The whole area seemed to shiver at its words. "You are going _nowhere_." The Chaos Space Marine lashed out again, but _this_ time, his demonic weapon was _blocked_. He recoiled as the Blood Raven recovered from his lunge, his gleaming power sword and storm shield shining in the light of the pulse fire that was _still_ impacting the demon to no apparent effect. " _Blood Raven!_ " The sheer hate in the monster's tone drove several guardsmen to their knees.

"You go no further." The red armored warrior charged and the Chaos Space Marine met him halfway. _This_ battle, however, was _far_ more even. The scythe met the sword in showers of energy. The shield allowed the Blood Raven a modicum of protection that the traitor lacked, but the reach of the scythe offset that a bit. Neither seemed to have an advantage, and eventually, the Chaos Marine stumbled and the Blood Raven struck, his blade biting deep into the traitor's chest armor. The Governor General bit back a cheer that faded to ashes as the Chaos Space Marine laughed again.

"Always so _blind_." The Chaos Marine said with a sneer as he lashed out, the scythe lancing through Blood Raven's power armor like a knife through cheese and dark energy flared. "You Blood Ravens should have died out centuries ago. So stupid and blind, none of you even-" He broke off as golden power slammed out from the Blood Raven's wound, overwhelming the scythe's energy and absorbing it, coating Carron's weapon in gold. He tried to drop it and couldn't. "What? _No!_ "

"You... call _us_ blind." The red armored warrior's voice was soft now as he drew back and slowly, ever so slowly, drove his power sword through the Chaos Marine's breastplate. "I know... what you are. You are not the _true_ Carron. _He_ died on Kaurava IV to Boreale's blade. You are a _copy_. A _cheap_ copy, A plaything of the Chaos Gods. A flesh puppet for the demon who holds your strings."

The demon in question was watching the Blood Raven, but made no motion to interfere. Indeed, most of its attention seemed to be on the Blood Raven. The Inquisitor was doing something and the prisoner he led groaned out loud but no one seemed to notice as the swirls of energy increased.

"You... You cannot..." _Carron_ gasped in pain and or shock as the golden energy travelled up the haft of his scythe and coated his arm. To the Governor General's sudden apprehension, the golden energy slowed and stopped before it passed the traitor's armored elbow. "You cannot win here!"

"I don't have to." The Blood Raven said coldly. "For you see, I came knowing what I would face. Inquisitor. Now."

"Get out of here, Governor General." The Inquisitor said with a snarl as he raised something over his head and energy flashed from it to strike the demon. The demon laughed and forms form nightmare swirled into being behind it before surging towards the Inquisitor and the others.

That sounded like a really good idea. The Governor General ran, his men following even as he realized that the pulse fire had stopped. It hadn't affected the demon or the traitor, so the Tau had likely withdrawn to regroup. He ran only to freeze as the corridor lit up with golden energy. A dozen forms stood in his path, all in red armor. _More_ Blood Ravens! _Ten_ Terminators, half armed with hammer and shield, the others with storm bolters. A dreadnought stood in their midst! They ignored him, facing the demon horde!

What the-?" The Governor General began only to freeze as the dreadnought that stood in their midst turned to face him.

-Savor your life while you _have_ it, Governor General Vance Stubbs.- The entombed Space Marine was not happy. -We _do_ know our duty but _you_ have earned our wrath. You _will_ need another ship.-

"What?" The Governor General demanded but the Dreadnought turned back to the embattled inquisitor and something flew from the dreadnought's close combat arm towards the struggling armored forms. It landed beside the struggling Blood Raven and traitor with a clang and stood up straight. A two handed Thunder Hammer!

- _Commander_!- The voice from the might war machine was calm and clear. The struggling Blood Raven looked at the dreadnought and seemed to freeze. -Kyras is _dead_! We are _free_! You are _one_ of _us_! _Now and always!_ -

Carron recoiled as the Blood Raven suddenly released the hold on his sword and dropped his shield, sweeping up the Thunder Hammer in steady hands. It came to life in those hands, seething with energy. Carron stared at the hammer and then his face slowly lost all expression as the hammer wielder turned to face him and his master.

"Perhaps we _are_ stupid." The Blood Raven said softly, but his voice carried to all the listeners. "Maybe we _are_ blind. But _WE SERVE THE_ _ **EMPEROR**_ _!_ " His shout reverberated through the corridors, sending several guard sprawling. He charged, the other Blood Ravens moving forward to try and support him even as the horde of horrors converged on him.

"We should go." The Governor General said softly. "Um... which way?" He was met with a plethora of blank stares and he sighed, picking a direction away from the battle. Whatever lay within that tunnel had to be better than being stuck between Blood Ravens and Chaos. He would have to _work_ to spin this into a victory to report to Segmentum Command.

Maybe if he just bombarded the whole _moon_ into rubble...

* * *

The battle

The battle was a grisly stalemate. The horrors could not stand against Blood Raven bolter fire, especially Tarkus' specialized Sternguard ammunition but more appeared from the portal every time one fell. The _less_ said about what happened when Thaddeus hit them with his thunder hammer the better, but the ichor would take the servitors a lot of time to get out of the joints of his armor. Thule stood, almost a statue. Only the minute whine of the barrels of his assault cannon checking readiness showed he was active at all. His focus was on the Inquisitor who was not taking his eyes off the demon. The agent's hand held an unusual chain that was connected to Titus's form and Thule wasn't sure how to free the Ultramarine.

Finally, the Terminators had cleared a space and Thaddeus spun to Thule. "What is that scum doing?"

-I don't know, Thaddeus.- Thule admitted. -Whatever it was, it cannot be good. But right now, we have to stop the demon.-

"Leave, Blood Ravens." The Inquisitor snapped. "This is my work. My prize."

-No.- The dreadnought's voice could not show contempt, but it came through clearly anyway. -Not without the Commander.-

"He is not your commander!" The Inquisitor snapped. "I am giving you an order!"

-And we are _ignoring_ it.- Thule replied. -You have shown your loyalty, Inquisitor and it is _not_ to the Imperium that we serve.- The demon laughed and Thule's assault cannon spat a hail of bullet that bounced off the malignant form. -The Ultramarines wish to 'speak' with you as well. Captain Titus, are you well?- The Inquisitor's prisoner looked at the dreadnought and shook his head slowly. -Noted.-

"You are interfering with things you know nothing about!" Thrax snapped as the Commander slammed the hammer into the Chaos traitor's armor and the renegade Space Marine went flying. "Stop! You cannot kill the demon, and if you slay it here, it will return to the Warp and I will not be able to bind it you fools! Leave now or I will..."

The Inquisitor broke off as _all_ of the Space Marines in red except the one still fighting the puppet Carron turned to look at him. The dreadnought did not move.

"Bind it. You _are_ Radical." The Terminator sergeant with the storm bolter said softly. Tarkus was _not_ happy. "In _who_ , Inquisitor? Captain Titus or our commander?"

"I bear the highest authority!" Thrax snapped, all patience fleeing. "You are interfering in the sacred work of the Ordo Hereticus and you will answer for that!"

"So..." The hammer wielding Terminator sergeant said slowly. "You deny the _Emperor's_ authority." Thaddeus looked from the Inquisitor to Thule. "Sir..."

-In his own twisted way, he is right.- Thule admitted. -This is not our place. Come.- The Inquisitor smiled, but that smile faded as the Blood Raven with the hammer turned and strode towards Thule.

"Commander! I saved you! You swore to me!" Thrax snapped, hand still moving in the odd energy he was working.

"I did." The Blood Raven with the hammer shook his head slowly. "But there _is_ a higher authority than yours." Behind him, the meat puppet of Carron rose to its feet and the scythe started glowing again. The Blood Raven strode to where Titus stood frozen and with a swift blow, shattered the chain that connected the Inquisitor with the bound Ultramarine. Titus collapsed, but the Blood Raven caught him. It shouldn't have been possible for the red armored form to carry the hammer _and_ the now semi-conscious Ultramarine, but he managed.

"No! Traitor!" Thrax snapped even as the demon laughed and the horde shifted its focus from the Blood Ravens to _him_. "You will pay for this."

"Yes I will." The Blood Raven said as he moved towards the other red armored forms. "But not by your hands. I did warn you that there were limits." He held out the hammer to the Dreadnought who took it, the claw closing, slotting the massive weapon neatly into place. He lowered Titus to the ground and the Ultramarine stood on unsteady feet. "Thank you, Captain Thule."

-My pleasure, Commander.- The Dreadnought said firmly. -Let's get Captain Titus to the Apothecary.-

"Blood Ravens..." Captain Titus' voice was soft. "He will... Thrax will..."

"Inquisitor Thrax has _problems_ , Captain Titus." The nameless Force Commander said softly as he followed the dreadnought from the battlefield. "More than even _he_ knew."

"What are you _doing_?" Thrax screamed as the Blood Ravens left him behind. "You cannot leave me here! You cannot-!" His stream of invective cut off as _another_ teleporter shone in the area and suddenly, five forms in _silver armor_ stood there. Thrax' voice choked off even as the demon scream in horror and the gibbering horde simply _vanished_. "No."

"Brother Captain Stern." The nameless Blood Raven nodded to the silver Terminator in the lead who bore a massive two handed sword. "Well met."

"Your name was lost." The Grey Knight intoned formally. "But you _will_ be remembered. I call you 'Nemo' and we shall inscribe your name on _our_ rolls of honored allies." 'Nemo'. Gothic for 'No man'. He turned his gaze to Thrax who seemed to wilt. The demon was still screaming as the other four Grey Knights spread out, halberds and a hammer rising to the ready.

"What have you _done_?" Thrax demanded, but his bluster seemed to have fled. "You... You swore to serve..."

"I did." The newly named Nemo said firmly. He looked at the Grey Knight captain who waved at him. "Then again, you were the _second_ I swore to serve. You never asked who _else_ had been involved in vetting me after the events on Aurelia." The other Blood Ravens were staring at him in awe and he shook his head. "Captain Titus need help. I tire of this place, brothers and we will _all_ need to talk to the Brother Captain after this."

The Blood Ravens formed up around their leader and marched from the area without a further word. Thrax stared after them, slack jawed.

"They... he..." The Inquisitor looked at the demon, and Carron, but the meat puppet had fallen when the demon had lost control of it. "You..."

"You strayed from the Emperor's light, Inquisitor Thrax." Brother Captain Stern of the Grey Knights said with a grunt as he readied his sword. "The authority is _his_. Not _yours_."

With that, the Grey Knights charged the demon.

* * *

Elsewhere in the tunnels

Shas'Vre Vior'la Oxa'are was no stranger to battle. The battles that had been fought here on this moon had been bloody in the extreme. His teams had found bodies in all kinds of places that the humans had never bothered to clean up. But he had also heeded Mira's warning during one of the briefings right before the Chaos forces had landed.

'According to Agatha's notes, Tau have a limited connection to the Warp. This is both a strength and a weakness. A strength in that the Ruinous Powers cannot reach into your minds and twist them the way they can humans. A weakness in that you have no way to defend against anything else they do. If you do encounter a demon or worse? _Run_. There is no glory or honor in dying for no purpose.'

He smiled in memory. He liked that Gue'la. He sincerely hoped that the medics would be able to help her, but it was out of his hands. The Manta with her aboard had fled the moon even before the Gue'ron'sha had struck the human ship in orbit. He had fought the human Space Marines before and knew their strengths to his cost, but even _he_ had been shaken by the sheer fury of their assault. The rest of his Hunter Cadre had retreated with him deeper into the tunnels. Here, they had cost the Guard every single trooper that had been sent in. The lucky ones encountered his Fire Warriors and died to Tau fire. The unlucky ones? Well... Shaper Jarl had come for his own reasons on this expedition. When asked, he had made jokes, but it wasn't a laughing matter. When the Kroot had seen what the Ethereals had done here, the Shaper had not been surprised. He had simply demanded to help put an end to it all. The Shaper had known all along,. Shas'Vre Vior'la Oxa'are realized. He had _known_ what had happened here and why. Had any of the _Kroot_ been experimented on? He shook that thought away. Not his problem at the moment.

Another chorus of screams sounded as humans ran into the surrounding Kroot squads and the Shas'Vre smiled grimly under the helmet of his XV-85 battlesuit. He and his Fire Warriors would not leave this moon, he knew that. Jarl and his Kroot had to know that too. That between the Gue'la and the Gue'ron'sha, none of them would survive. But it didn't matter. The labs were all burnt out wrecks now. The cells had been sterilized. All of the DNA samples were gone. All records had been taken and all backups destroyed. His mission was accomplished. Farsight would be pleased. With _that_ anyway.

The Gue'la would respond. They always did. But he and his Fire Warriors had come prepared. They had sealed many of the tunnels, seeded others with traps and prepared escape routes. They had placed ammunition caches in many, many places and opened others that dated back to the original base. Add to that the 'special defense' that now blocked the sole large access to the tunnels and this was going to cost the Gue'la significantly. Only a _fool_ charged a KV-128 Stormsurge when it was _entrenched_ in a position where there was no way to fire on it without coming under fire. Anyone dumb enough to show themselves in its field of fire would not last long at all. Infantry or armor, it would make little difference. Tau did not generally hold positions, but this time? They _would_.

The screams ended and the Shas'Vre nodded to his teams. They moved to another section of tunnel, but the Shas'Vre paused as Jarl appeared nearby.

"Jarl? Problem?" The Shas'Vre asked. His battlesuit weapons scanned the area, but nothing else shone.

"No." The Kroot smiled. "A fine feast and a good day, Shas'Vre." He held out something to the Tau and Shas'Vre Vior'la Oxa'are stared at the bloody medals on the scrap of uniform tunic. "The human Governor General will need a new arm. We didn't _quite_ manage to kill him, but we _did_ take meat from him."

"How was he?" The Shas'Vre asked coldly, staring at the grisly trophy from the highest rankled human in the system, the one who had orchestrated the slaughter here on this moon and many places elsewhere.

"A bit tough." The Shaper admitted. "But with a bit of seasoning, he served."

"Ah yes." The Shas'Vre shook his head. Even _he_ had difficulty with the Kroot's sense of humor occasionally. "The humans?"

"The battle with the monster continues. We knew not to approach even before you spoke of it." For once, Jarl's tone held no humor at all. "There are stories of these mad Gue'la among the Kroot. Bad stories with foul meat."

"You could have gone on the last Manta, Jarl." The Shas'Vre said slowly as his troops vanished into the gloom. "Why didn't you?"

"You think you are the _only_ one who is too old for this anymore?" Jarl asked, his tone oddly soft. "They will tell stories of us, Shas'Vre. The Kroot will not forget this. Many, many Kroot died defending this place, but the Ethereals 'forgot' to take any of the survivors onto the escape transports."

"So you came for vengeance." The Shas'Vre half stated, half asked.

"No." Jarl shrugged. "They were not my tribe. You know me. I came because you promised me a good meal. I _always_ show up for the meal." He grinned as the Shas'Vre laughed.

"You are _bad_ , Jarl."

* * *

Kaurava's Legacy

It would take the Imperial Guard over _ten years_ to finally clean all of the xenos out from the tunnels underneath the old Tau base on the moon that the aliens had called Nan Yanoi. The governor staggered out minus an arm, the _sole_ survivor of _all_ of the Guard who had entered. His hatred of the xenos drove him again and again into assaulting the impregnable position. The cost in lives in taking the tunnels under the moon base was _astronomical_. Mainly because only infantry could enter most of them and Jarl had never told _anyone_ but the Shas'Vre that he had brought his whole _tribe_ there. Said tribe included a breeding pair of Krootox and a greater Knarloc. A few of the Kroot managed to escape and a bare handful managed, against all odds, to return to the Enclaves. There the Kroot told stories for _millennia_ about 'Jarl's feast'. The one where the humans who were invited into the tunnels to stay for _dinner_.

Only after they were _sure_ the Tau and Kroot had all been killed did the Guard dare rebuild _anything_ near Kaurava II. Even then, the fear remained and does to this day. Kaurava produces fine troops, its academies and factories produce some of the best Imperial war making material found anywhere. Their hate of the xenos that had once polluted their system has spurred the Guard from Kaurava to many feats of heroism. But mention _Kroot_ around _any_ troops from those worlds and they tend to get very quiet, very quickly. Kroot are the _only_ xenos they will flee from.

They also will not enter underground tunnels of any kind without a commissar standing _RIGHT THERE_.

They _remember_.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chaos' match**

The apothecarium on the _Winds of Tallassar_ was normally a fairly quiet place. Space Marines were not ones to groan or complain like humans. That said, it was often busy and especially now after an assault on a Nurgle ship and an attack by Imperials plus the events on the surface of the moon. The ship hadn't escaped into the Warp unscathed. An Imperial torpedo had impacted amidships just as they had transited into jump. Luckily, it had only been _one_. If more had hit, the ship likely wouldn't have survived. As it was, the ship would be in the shipyards of Maccragge for a long time once she got home. But the Strike Cruiser survived as it had for millennia, the Adeptas Asartes who called the massive vessel home living and fighting from it before finally going to their Emperor's side.

Today, the Apothecarium was crowded. It wasn't every day a dreadnought eased its way in through the loading bay. Then again, it wasn't every day a hero of the Ultramarines _and_ a hero of the Blood Ravens were both brought in to be tended. Captain Janus was also present, but both commanders had reassured the Apothecaries they would not interfere and they had not. They simply observed. Finally, the head apothecary stepped from his work to where the pair of mismatched commanders stood patiently.

"Captain Janus." The Ultramarine apothecary's name was Fracier and he was very good at his job. "Captain Thule." He nodded to both.

"Report." Janus said quietly.

"They will live." Fracier shook his head. "That said, Captain Titus is in bad shape. Whatever that scum did to him, his body is reacting badly to it. Resistance to the Warp or not, there was lot of energy poured into him. If not his native stubbornness, he would not have survived."

"And the Blood Raven?" Janus paused and shook his head. "Nemo, the Grey Knight called him." He looked at Thule, but the dreadnought did not speak. "His condition?"

"His wound is straightforward. Evil, but straightforward. He may lose his arm due to the atrophy caused by the weapon." The Apothecary sounded as if he wanted to spit. He had far too much experience with the effects of the weapons of Chaos on battle brothers.

-Do what you must.- Thule said quietly. -We are expecting another. He will judge them both.- Janus spun, staring at the dreadnought and then slowly relaxing.

"Did he say _when_?" The apothecary took such a development in stride. "We may need to put Captain Titus in stasis for the trip home." He ignored the word 'judge'.

-He did not.- Thule sounded almost apologetic for a moment but Janus just waved at him.

"We both know they do not have time to quibble." Janus said with a shrug. "It won't be long." Indeed, the com chimed and he stared a the dreadnought who did not react. "Yes?"

"Captain Janus." Techmarine Genadi sounded almost in awe. "We are receiving a hail form a ship called the _Purity of Thought_. They are sending an envoy."

"Have him escorted to the apothecarium." Janus commanded and then paused. "Tarkus?" He asked Thule. The veteran sergeant was easily the most pious Marine on aboard.

-A good thought, captain.- The dreadnought agreed and then was silent.

"Send Sergeant Tarkus to escort our guest to the apothecarium." Janus said quickly. "Make sure we are ready to get underway."

"As ordered." The techmarine cut the com. Ultramarines did not stand on ceremony all the time, despite what some of their detractors sneered.

Fracier looked at the two captains turned and went back to his work. Janus looked at the dreadnought, but did not comment. They simply waited. It wasn't a long wait. Indeed, less than five minutes later, the hatch of the apothecarium opened and two Space Marines in terminator armor entered. One was well known aboard. Sergeant Tarkus was a solid and dependable veteran marine whose experience and quiet pious nature had earned the Ultramarine's respect many times over. The other Janus did not know. Well, he did not know who the Adeptas Asartes was. He knew _what_. The Grey Knight wore no helmet, but he still carried his massive two handed sword. No one was _about_ to comment on that. Tarkus waited at the door while the Grey Knight entered, then turned and put his back to it as it closed. It didn't need to be said that the only way _anyone_ else would enter was _through_ the Terminator.

"Welcome aboard the _Winds of Tallassar_ , brother." Janus said formally. "I am Janus, in command." He nodded to the dreadnought. "This is Davian Thule, sharing command."

"Thule." The Grey Knight stared at the dreadnought and then nodded slowly. "Thrax was even more of an idiot than we thought. Ordering _you_ to be disloyal would be kind of like ordering a star to stop burning."

-The only thing that might be worse would be ordering _Gabriel_ to do so.- Thule's voice was dry. -That would be very messy when he got done with whoever tried.-

"You have been tested sorely, Captain Thule." The Grey Knight smiled. "But you have not been found wanting. Well done brother. Well done." The dreadnought seemed to freeze and the Grey Knight waved a hand at him. "No. We will not speak of it. But yes, I _do_ know, and no, you did _exactly_ the right thing on Kronus and after. You have paid, your Chapter has paid, but your loyalty is acknowledged."

-I...- Janus stared at the dreadnought as it seemed to wilt. -Thank you, brother.-

"I am remiss." The Grey Knight said with a frown as he looked at Janus. "I am Bother Captain Stern of the Grey Knights. That is all I can say of who and what I am."

"We understand, Brother Captain Stern." Janus said formally. "Your order must remain as it is."

"Indeed it must." Stern took a deep breath. "We must remain as we are or much of our effectiveness will be lost. I need to examine the Space Marines you recovered." Janus looked at Thule and the dreadnought replied.

-We serve the Emperor- The dreadnought moved to the side, a hard thing in such tight quarters. Janus moved away as well as the slight noise level in the apothecarium died. The apothecaries were staring at the silver armored form as he stepped deeper into it.

"I am here under orders of the Ordo Malleus." Stern said formally. "I bear the burden of proving our brother's guilt or innocence."

"What?" One of the younger apothecaries started, only to be hushed by Fracier. Stern took no offense.

"I take no joy in such, Ultramarine." The Grey Knight said softly as he stepped fully into the ward. "The Ruinous Powers are insidious as we all know. But few even among us..." He glanced at the dreadnought. "...know the true depths of horror that await the foolish or the depraved. Those who stand against such will ever be counted our allies. But we cannot relax our vigilance, even for a second."

Everything stopped as a red armored form stepped out of an enclosure. Parts of his armor had been removed and damaged flesh shone underneath it. He slowly knelt before Stern. His right arm hung limp, it seemed almost to be wasting away as the onlookers watched.

"Nemo." Stern said softly. "How do you fare, brother?" Was his voice _kind_?

"We serve the Emperor." The kneeling Blood Raven said softly. He bowed his head. "Thrax told me, Brother Captain." At that, the Grey Knight froze. "I didn't understand. I didn't understand the burden that Captain Thule and Chapter Master Angelos suffered under. I didn't _understand!_ " Was he about to _cry?_ What could make a Space Marine _cry_?

"Knowledge is power. Guard it well." The Grey Knight intoned the Blood Raven motto softly. "So be it, brother." His sword came down until to touched the Blood Raven's bent head. It flashed golden for just a moment and then he raised it. "Look at me, Nemo." The Blood Raven did not want to, that was clear to every observer. But he did as commanded. When he did, Stern nodded to him. "You are not tainted. You feel exactly as you did after the events on Aurelia. You too have been tested. Cast into the pits of darkness and despair and prevailed. Our father would be proud of you. Space Marine. But your memories endanger the Imperium. You saw things and _did_ things in the Inquisitor's company that imperil not just you, but countless lives."

"I know." Nemo said softly. "I serve." He rose slowly to his feet. "I will await the apothecary." He looked at Thule and then slowly straightened to attention. He gave the dreadnought a full formal salute. The dreadnought could not return it, but it bowed as much as it could in response. The red armored form went back into the enclosure.

"Apothecary." Stern was calm, but sadness was heard deep in his tone. Fracier jerked, but then stepped forward.

"Brother Captain?" The apothecary knew what was coming. That was clear from the look on his face, but he _too_ was Adeptas Asartes. He understood.

"By order of the Ordo Malleus, the space marine known as Nemo must undergo a mindscrub and then examination by chapter librarians." The Grey Knight paused. " _Both_ chapters' librarians. Once the scrub is done, place him in stasis for the trip back." Fracier looked ashen, but nodded. To lose all memory of who and what you were was horrible in the extreme, but needed when dealing with such insidious and evil forces. "Captain Thule..." He turned to the dreadnought.

-Battle Brother Nemo will have a place in the Fifth company.- Thule replied calmly. -They did not serve under him. They are still under strength. They will not inquire.-

"Is this... _justice_?" A shaky voice sounded and more than one person inhaled as Titus staggered out of another enclosure. He wasn't wearing anything but some medical gear and his face was incandescent. He stared at the Grey Knight, but his fury did not abate.

"Captain Titus..." Janus began, but Stern waved and the Ultramarine in armor shut up.

"No, Captain Titus." The Grey Knight said softly. "It is not. We are not arbiters. We are not judges or confessors. We are Space Marines. The battle brother known as Nemo touched things that _cannot_ be touched. You _know_ this." He chided the irate Ultramarine gently. Titus glared at him and Stern sighed. "Captain... I take no joy in this. None. But it must be done. Please?"

Titus slumped a bit and then slowly sank to his knees on the hard metal floor. His head remained up however as the Grey Knight's sword came down to touch it. His gaze remained angry even as the sword flashed and Stern withdrew it. But then, everything stopped as the Grey Knight _chuckled?_

"None so blind as those who see." The silver armored warrior was still chuckling softly even as everyone stared at him. "Rise, Captain Titus. You are not tainted."

"But..." Titus swallowed hard and seemed to be at a loss for words. "I do not know how I resisted the Warp. On Graia or elsewhere."

"Neither do I." Stern admitted. "I find no trace of taint in you. I am not perfect, so you _will_ be watched. But Captain, your actions speak for themselves. You are no heretic or traitor. You held firm in the face of an overpowering enemy on Graia and in the Inquisitor's tender care."

"But the Inquisitor said that the only way for me to resist the Warp was to have been touched by it." Titus protested.

"The Inquisitor doesn't know everything." The Grey Knight said with a snort. "He does not even know all of what he thought he knew. He will abide with us until we can remand him into the care of his fellows with the Ordo Hereticus. Along with a stern warning to leave these matters in the hands of the Ordo Malleus. If he is unlucky, he will survive their wrath and face _ours_." The less said about that the better.

"So, he will not pay for what he did to Mira?" Titus staggered a bit, but when one of the apothecaries started forward, Titus glared at the space marine who froze and retreated. Wise of him.

"There will be those who call what he did _efficient_ , Captain. To strike a foe in such away with the loss of only _one_ human life? Indeed. Many will say she was a hero no matter if she accepted her role or not." The Grey Knight warned Titus who growled but nodded. "Not that it worked. She survived."

" _Survived_?" Titus asked, confused. " _How_? He implanted her with a bioweapon and coated her skin with diseases. Then he left her for the Tau to find."

"Before giving her the Emperor's Mercy..." Stern said quietly. "...we psychically interrogated the sergeant who was used to form the warp portal. She did not know much, just that the quarantine apparently did not work as intended. We will investigate that. But after the Tau took the base, a Lieutenant Mira came to see her, and when the Lieutenant realized that the sergeant had been tainted, she had aliens help her. The sergeant begged the lieutenant to kill her, but the lieutenant was smarter than many human and suspected that doing so would trigger the warp portal. Wisely, as it turned out. We believe the plan was to take the cannon and use it to retake the system." He shrugged. "They failed."

"Mira was working with _Tau_?" Titus shook his head, dumbfounded. "I... I cannot believe that."

"We know they can twist minds, Captain Titus." Janus was loathe to interrupt, but seeing Titus so reduced obviously bothered him.

"I owe her a debt, Janus." Titus said with a sigh. "She was taken because of me. She tried to help me and it cost her everything. If we _can_ ascertain her fate..." He paused and looked at Stern. "Thank you, Brother Captain Stern."

The Grey Knight nodded and left. The door opened for him and the Terminator outside formed up beside him, their boots ringing on the deck. Titus stared after him for a moment and then at Janus who nodded slowly.

"Some Tau ships escaped the moon. A large vessel that had apparently landed and several bomber class ships." The armored Ultramarine said quietly. "We do not know where they are going. We lost contact, but both were on the same heading."

"Do you have probes aboard?" Titus asked. "Not knowing her fate will bother me."

" _If_ you listen to the apothecaries, then yes." Janus said with a scowl that became a grin as Titus cursed him foully. " _Temper_ , Captain. We do not want to shock our guests."

"You haven't _changed_ , Janus."

* * *

The _Mesme Kai_ , Deep Space

"It is as we feared. The Gue'la are coming this way. They have fired some kind of sensor probe that is following the track of the last Manta from the surface. I told them to alter course. They should have altered _more_."

Kor'Vre Sa'cea Bant'ath was not a happy Tau. The Air Caste leader _had_ been up until now. This mission hadn't been hard or even incredibly dangerous for most of her forces since the initial emergence into the Kaurava system. That battle, while sharp, hadn't been incredibly difficult for veterans of countless battles against Orks. _This_ on the other hand... Only a fool took the presence of a pair of Gue'La Space Marine cruisers lightly. Only a fool with a death wish _ignored_ them, especially when one of them simply vanished from the most sophisticated sensors that the Farsight Enclaves had, even when mounted on older ships.

"How soon can we jump?" Por'El Salierra was very tired. She had been running nonstop with all of her duties as well as trying to fill out the reports that seemed to be what the Enclaves actually ran on these days. Even with AI assistance, she was tired.

"Five Rottaa." The Air Caste commander said softly. "We have five ships, only one of which could _possibly_ stand up to a broadside from any Imperial ship. We have few troops after dropping the Shas'Vre and the Kroot. If they get close enough to board, we are _doomed_."

"Then they won't." The other voice had both of the Tau turning.

"Agatha!" Salierra said sternly. "What are you doing _up_?" She moved to the blind sister and took the humans' arm, guiding her to a chair. But Agatha shook her head. "You still need sleep, Agatha."

"There is no need to obfuscate the truth, Por'El Salierra." Agatha said with a small, fond smile for her friend. "Even in stasis, I won't survive to make it back to the Enclaves. I know it." The Por'El made a soft, sad noise and Agatha patted the hand that still held hers. "I know. Did you get any scans when I helped Mira?"

"None that make any sense." Salierra admitted. "We were not sure you knew."

"Commander O'Shovah was incredibly open about what he wanted." Agatha said with a shrug. "But I couldn't give it to him. The _need_ must be there, not simply the _desire_. I helped bring the Emperor's light to your Enclaves, and it helped me to show the Gue'Vesa how to protect themselves. If...If Mira survives..." Agatha bit back a sob and the Por'El gave her hand a squeeze. "She will do the same, if not the same way I did, then similar."

"She is not like you." Salierra protested.

"No." Agatha agreed. "But she is _also_ not stupid. She is smart, young and incredibly devout for a soldier." She blew out a deep breath. "I can buy you the time you need."

"No!" The Por'El snapped. "You have done _enough_!"

"We are going to do this my way or every Tau on these ships will die." Agatha said flatly. "What will it be?"

"You _still_ fight dirty..."

* * *

Forty minutes later

Space Marines were not unaccustomed to surprises. But seeing a shuttle that was broadcasting codes that showed it contained an envoy from the Order of the Sacred Rose would have jarred just about _anyone_. They were not stupid, Ultramarine or Blood Raven. They took it aboard.

 _Carefully_.


	19. Chapter 19

**Options**

Agatha sat in her chair and waited. The robes she wore felt alien to her after so long, but they were familiar. She could -almost- see the Space Marines who swarmed around the small shuttle. It was a human design that the Tau had 'acquired' from a visiting Rogue Trader who had run afoul of certain powers within the Imperium and come to live in the Enclaves. It was unarmed and she had been assured by several different Tau that there were no tricks or traps within its hull or attached to its outside. That would confuse the Space Marines, she was sure. But they also had doctrine for such things as they did for every other aspect of their lives.

She had rotated her chair to face the hatch and made sure that her hands were still and would be clearly visible when it opened. But when it did... nothing happened. She couldn't hear _anything_ outside, as if whoever _had_ to be pointing weapons at her didn't dare speak.

"I am unarmed and unarmored." Agatha called. "I am also blind."

She raised a slow hand to her face and rubbed the bandages that she had insisted on. For the first time in a long, long time, she was absolutely certain that her stubborn decision not to have the Tau remedy her blindness with their technology was a good thing. If _Space Marines_ had seen her with _Tau_ implants... Oh, it wouldn't have ended well at _all_.

"This is not a shuttle of the Order of the Sacred Rose." A deep voice said flatly from the direction of the hatch. Had to be a Space Marine in full power armor, nothing else had such a voice.

"No, it is not." Agatha agreed as she slowly put her hand back on the armrest. She knew it would be clearly visible and did nothing else with it. "The codes are. Those are mine and probably out of date. I meant no disrespect nor dishonesty. I need to talk to whoever is in charge."

"Who are you?" The other demanded.

"Once, I was Sister Superior Agatha Soliari, Celestian of the Order of the Sacred Rose." The words fell off Agatha's tongue strangely, she hadn't used that name in a long, _long_ time. "Now? I am simply Agatha, a sister who spends her time trying to bring the Emperor's light into dark places."

"A holy _sister? Here?_ " The exclamation was not according to the Codex Astartes, but she wasn't _about_ to correct the Space Marine.

"I make no claim to holiness." Agatha replied. "The light is the Emperor's, not mine. I know that Adeptus Astartes do not believe as I do and I am not stupid enough to proselytize here." She could have sworn someone snorted from outside, but that had to be a trick of her ears.

"You came from a Tau ship." The other said flatly and Agatha nodded. "What do you want?"

"To talk to your commander." Agatha said quietly. "My life is ending, Space Marine. I go to the Emperor's side. Or so I _hope_. But there is something I must do before that."

"And that is?" The Space Marine demanded as armored boots finally started up the ramp that led into the ship.

"To beg for a chance to spread the Emperor's light into darkness." A hand found hers as she stopped speaking. An armored hand.

"You are brave for a human. Stand." The Space Marine said softly as he urged her to stand. She did as instructed. There was no way for her to fight. Not here. Not now. She heard an auspex start to run nearby and did not react as other armored hands patted her down.

"I _am_ afraid, Space Marine." Agatha admitted. "But not of death. I have lived far past my time and if I must die, I will welcome it. I only wish, as I say, to spread the Emperor's light."

"What happened to your vision?" The other urged her forward and she stumbled a bit, but the hand that held hers steadied her.

"I was taken by the Dark Eldar." Agatha could not restrain a shiver, even now after all this time. "I tried to fight and they punished me for it. They focus on those who can resist them, those who can make the torments last much, much longer. They took me and _broke_ me. I was... lost. It took years of work to see the Emperor's light again."

"Years with _who_?" The Space Marine was guiding her through an wide echoing area now. Probably a hangar. "Your attire seemed to be a Sister's but it is not made of material we know."

"They call themselves Tau." Agatha did not react as the hand holding hers squeezed although it hurt. "It is complicated. One group took me from the Dark Eldar cage where I had been imprisoned and another rescued me from a lab where the first group was studying me."

" _Studying_ you?" The marine asked, anger seething deep in his voice before vanishing.

"I have nothing to hide now, Space Marine." Agatha said as he led her through what had to be corridors from the echoes. Other boots were marching with them. She didn't need to see to know that the boltguns were aimed and off safe. "The Tau would not let me die. At first it was because I was a curiosity. They had never captured a Sister alive before. Then I was useful to them. They are all about efficiency."

"That they are." A new voice sounded, older, in control. Agatha nodded to the voice as the hand guiding her gave a twitch and she stopped as instructed. "Sister Superior Soliari..." He paused as Agatha shook her head. "What then?"

"I have not been a member of the Order of the Sacred Rose for almost five years." Agatha said softly. She had no doubt that the Space Marines could all hear her. "I could no longer be what I was. I wasn't _her_ anymore. That sister would have died, _should_ have died in that Dark Eldar cage. I am not her."

"Your story is implausible." What that to be the Space Marine commander said just as quietly. "We know what the Tau do. They brainwash people and turn them into willing servants. They turn them from the Emperor."

"I..." Agatha paused what she was going to say and then nodded again. "Yes." She could almost feel the incredulity from all around her. "Thing is, did you know there are two factions of Tau?"

"Two?" The commander asked carefully.

"Yes." Agatha said with a small frown. "One group is led by the Ethereal caste. Those are the ones who found me in that Dark Eldar cage. They sent me back to their homeworlds to be studied." There was utter silence in the area and Agatha continued. "The other... rebelled against the Ethereals, although from what I understand, it was not by choice."

"The Tau called Farsight. We have heard of him. Some." The Space Marine commander said quietly. Agatha nodded. "So, you were in a lab?"

"Yes." Agatha shivered again and the hand that was still holding hers gave her comfort. It was a human hand. Well sort of human. "It was unpleasant. Even a gilded cage is still a cage. I couldn't see and I couldn't fight as weak as I was kept. Farsight's people stole material from the lab and managed to spirit me away too. I was a mess, Commander..." She paused. "May I know your name?"

"My name is Janus, sister Agatha." The other replied. "Captain of the Ultramarines Sixth Company."

"Well met, Ultramarine." Agatha bowed her head. "I have to ask something that you will not want to give. But I must ask it."

"You can ask _anything_ , sister. We may or may not respond, but your actions are brave." Janus replied. "You put yourself into our power willingly and show no sign of hostility or deceit."

"Not all battles can be won with boltguns, Captain Janus." Agatha said with a tiny smile. "I learned that on my second mission."

"For me, it was my _first_." Janus replied, a smile in his own voice. "Ask."

"Let the Tau go." Agatha could not have missed the sudden tension if she had been deaf. "They came here to discover what the Ethereals had done here. To get the plans for the big cannon so that they can find a weakness in the design."

"You are with this Farsight." Janus' voice was totally neutral.

"He gave me a place. _They_ gave me a purpose." Agatha frowned. "To this day, I do not know if they manipulated me, brainwashed me. But I found humans who sought the Emperor's light _among_ the inhabitants of the Enclaves. Descendants of those settlers and soldiers who had been left behind when the Crusade was pulled back. I ministered to them the best I could. I was a battle sister, not a mendicant." The silence around her was deafening now. "Kill me if you must, but you will _not_ take those ships. They will self destruct if boarded."

"And if I stand off and blow them to pieces?" Janus paused as Agatha laughed. "What?"

"You are no _fool_ , Ultramarine." Agatha scoffed. "You know _better_ than to fight Tau at range. It doesn't _work_."

"No." Janus agreed after a moment. "It doesn't. Come with me." The armored hand guiding Agatha gave another twitch and she started moving, obeying her guide. "How long were you among the Enclaves?"

"Seven years." Agatha replied with a calm that she didn't really feel. All she knew about Space Marines was that they were genetically engineered to serve the Imperium. First, last and _only_. She had no idea if her plea would be received or not. What she did know was that her life was forfeit for working with xenos. She found she did not care much. As she walked, she started humming a prayer. The Ultramarines around her did not interrupt her. Was such beneath their notice?

She felt the change in air pressure as she entered another room. The sounds were odd as well. A medicae facility? But devoid of any of the customary prayers. She kicked herself. Of _course_ the Space Marines wouldn't say the same prayers that humans did. They were not anymore! She remained silent and obeyed the twitch on her hand that commanded her to halt.

"We need sergeants Cyrus and Tarkus." Janus wasn't speaking to her. "Apothecary." A set of boots came close and Agatha fought to remain calm as a hand touched her face.

"Come." The voice was softer, not gentle, just softer and another hand took her free one. The pair of hands guided her forward until she found the edge of a table. They urged her up and she climbed up onto it. She was pulled down onto her stomach and did not cry out as cold, hard things slapped into place around her, binding her in place. The hands withdrew, leaving her to lie in place. She heard voices nearby, but they were hard to make out. The captain spoke again. "Sergeant Cyrus. You told us your tale. You may be able to recognize this human."

An indrawn breath sounded nearby. A calloused hand touched her cheek and slowly, ever so slowly, lifted her chin up. She did not resist. When the voice spoke, it was hushed.

"It is _her_." The Space Marine sounded _choked_. "I give apology, Sister."

"For?" Agatha asked, dumbfounded.

"After my capture on Kaurava II, I was thrown into a cage by the twisted Eldar." The other said slowly as his hand gently stroked her cheek. "In that cage, I found a dying battle brother and a blinded Sororitas." Agatha stiffened, the pain in his voice was totally out of place in an Adeptas Astartes. "When the Tau attacked, I escaped the cage and fled. I left you to the xenos."

"What _else_ could you _do_?" Agatha asked, confused. Machinery whirred around her, she ignored it. Live or die, she had no power over that. But this Space Marine? Was _this_ why the Emperor had sent her here? Why would a _Space Marine_ need _absolution_? "Space Marine, I was _broken!_ You were more important than I was. You _had_ to survive. I was beaten, sobbing. They had used me so much, abused me so many times, I..." She gasped as pain came, but she fought past it. "You could _not_ have saved me. All it would have gotten _you_ was caught. By either group, it would have meant your death. I..." She broke off what she was going to say. The Space Marines did not believe what she did.

"Speak, sister." Captain Janus' voice was oddly gentle now. "No one will take your words amiss. Not here. Not now."

"I wondered so many times in my captivity why the Emperor had forsaken me. He _hadn't_." Agatha said with a frown. "I was just so bitter. So angry that I didn't see the light. Couldn't see it through my rage at what had happened to me. I had fought, hard, and I had failed. A martyrs death was expected of any sister, let alone a _Sister Superior_." She shook her head a little and the pain increased.

"Don't move." The voice of what had to be one of their healers commanded and Agatha froze in place. "Captain, we cannot heal this."

"I see." Janus sighed deeply. "Pity. I think I would like you, Sister Agatha."

"I doubt it. According to my few friends, my tongue is a sharp as a chainsword." Agatha replied. Janus actually laughed at that and Agatha relaxed a little. "And... I consorted with xenos. I had few choices, but I _did_. I ministered to the humans of the Enclaves, but to do so, I _had_ to consort with the xenos. For so long, it felt wrong and bad. But helping the humans felt _good_." She let out a sigh. "I know the Tau...changed me. Altered my thinking, if not as blatantly as the Ethereals would have, then just as completely. I _do_ believe in their Greater Good, but the Emperor is still my lord." She was floating now.

"How is that _possible_?" Another Space Marine.

"The Emperor does not see as humans or Space Marines do." Agatha said through a haze that was soothing her now. "You come closer than I ever will and I envy you that."

"Do not." The other snapped. "We are not human. We are Adeptus Asartes."

"You are a _son of the Emperor_!" Agatha snapped, then blanched, aghast at what she had just said. "I... I give apology."

"For speaking the _truth_?" Janus again. "We were made to serve humanity but we are no longer human. We will not believe what you do." He paused and spoke again. "One last question, sister. Where is Lieutenant Mira?" Agatha relaxed in her bonds. Deceit was a bad idea here. But the truth was also not a good thing to share with these.

"She is aboard a Tau ship. She was critically wounded by the Governor's men." Agatha said slowly. Truth, all of that. "She may not survive." Also truth.

"She was leading the group that was defending the cannon, wasn't she?" This was the one who had said he had seen her in the cage.

"Yes." Agatha said sadly. "She rallied the remnants of the Guard forces that had been stationed there despite everything. If the forces of Chaos had taken the cannon, they would have used it and it would not have ended well. I do not know what role the Inquisitor played, but he hurt Mira and left her for us -the Tau- to find."

"You identify with them." Janus' voice was stern now.

"I spent ten years surrounded by them." Agatha retorted calmly. "I served the Emperor _among_ them, but I do not expect you to believe that. On the way here, they found Mira in an abandoned ship that had been left in their flight path. They were curious. I do not know why they did not simply kill her when they discovered she had been implanted with a bioweapon. But they can be incredibly pragmatic. She lived when I left the ship. Now? I cannot say. Removing her from the life support _will_ kill her."

"And you want us to let them take her." Janus' wasn't angry. No, he was thoughtful.

"They can heal her, poor girl." Agatha said sadly. "I know what Imperium medicine can do and what it cannot. She is a good kid, a good soldier. I wouldn't usually say such things, but the Imperium is _not_ kind to good soldiers." There was no answer and Agatha fought back a sigh. "You cannot save her. The Tau _can_. They can give her a new life."

"As a slave to this Farsight?" One of the others demanded.

" _No_!" Agatha snapped, aware that her life hung by an even thinner thread than before. "Once I was in my right mind again -it took a while- they offered me transport to the homeworld of the Order of the Sacred Rose. Terra _itself_. Oh, they had their own reasons, everyone _does_. But they _did_. They _offered._ " Nothing hurt, but her breath was coming in gasps now. "I was _not_ a _slave_. Not to Farsight. Not to the Tau. I served the _humans_ of the Enclaves. Not Farsight." She slumped, spent. "I... Mira deserves _better_."

Then the pain hit and she could not stop a scream. It faded and she smiled as golden light enveloped her.

She was...

It was...

* * *

 _Winds of Tallassar_ Apothecarium

All of the Space Marines stared at the woman on the table as her face slowly changed from a rictus of agony to a beautiful smile. She gave one, final rasping breath and slumped to the table, the monitors showing terminal life signs, her face still smiling even as she died.

" _Brave_ human." Cyrus said softly as he reached out to touch her cheek. "To come here and say such while dying?" He looked at Tarkus, but the Terminator sergeant was muttering under his breath. Praying? He looked at Janus who shook his head slowly. "Captain..."

Janus looked at Titus and they shared a head shake.

"I think the probe just malfunctioned. Without knowing where the enemy is, we cannot engage." Janus said softly. "I will speak sternly to the Techmarines about that." Cyrus stared at him and Janus shook his head. "Titus spoke for us all. The debt is owed and this sister had no _reason_ to lie. Even if she _could_ have with the verifier on her. If _we_ cannot help Lieutenant Mira, what would be the _point_ of wasting the lives of brothers trying to rescue her or kill her to keep her out of their hands? Killing Tau is rarely easy at range and we have lost brothers here already, to Chaos _and_ to the Governor. We have accomplished our missions, we have both Titus _and_ your lost brother. This Mira... No. I deem it not worth the expense simply to slay a few more xenos." Titus bowed his head, but then nodded.

"Captain Janus." Cyrus touched the dead human's cheek one more time and shook his head. "With your permission and Captain Thule's, I think... I need closure as you said before. I would like to see Sister Agatha home."

"The Adeptas Sororitas will not welcome you to one of their convent worlds. Let alone the _Sacred Rose's_ homeworld." No Blood Raven had ever gone to Terra in recorded history. "To Sororitas, Adeptus Asartes are abhumans, abhorrent to their sight and minds." Janus warned.

"I don't _care_." Cyrus snapped, only to pause as Tarkus laid a hand on his shoulder. "Tarkus?"

" _We_ will see this brave sister home."


	20. Chapter 20

**Legacies**

Pluto Orbital station, Terra system

The Terra system was the busiest place in the entire Imperium of Man. There were other systems that came close, but not equaled it for sheer numbers of ships and people passing through. The Pluto Terminal was not one of the busiest of the ones in the system, but it was fairly well packed with masses of humanity. Which made the sudden _lack_ of people in one section of the terminal cause for consternation. Consternation that died abruptly when the ones investigating realized what was happening. Or more accurately, _who_.

A full squad of Adeptas Sororitas of the Order of the Sacred Rose blocked the entire middle of one of the hallways. _Ten_ Sisters of Battle. No one dared go anywhere near them. The few of their faces that were visible were not friendly in the slightest. But all of that paled beside the fury that resided in the face of the woman in front of them. That woman was not known to many of the passersby, but a quick check of Imperial records for those with access had them all hurrying away. Cannoness Karina was not a happy woman at the best of times. The few people who had business in the area kept their mouths shut and moved quickly to do their tasks and leave. The rest of the traffic skirted the hallway until a hatch at the end of the hallway opened and _everything_ stopped.

Two _Space Marines_ stalked in. A scout in red armor and a Terminator in matching colors. They escorted a stasis casket that floated on a hover field. The few greatly daring onlookers stared in awe as they saw the fleur-de-lis of the Sisters emblazoned on the casket. Neither of the Space Marines had weapons in hand, but both had them on their persons as they approached the sisters.

"You _dare_ come here, Blood Ravens?" The Canoness' words were calm, but the fury that dwelt within was palpable.

"This sister of your order died in our care." The scout said calmly, ignoring the ten weapons aimed at him. "We did not kill her and she did not waver in any way. She took the Emperor's light with her where she went."

"What do _you_ know of the Emperor's light, Astartes?" The Canoness demanded.

"We know she _saw_ it, at the end." The Terminator said flatly. The Canoness stared at him and her face slowly paled. He nodded. "We agree on few things, Canoness. That is how it has been and that is how it will be. But what she did should be remembered. She was taken by foul xenos on the planet Kaurava and hurt sorely. Blinded. She was not allowed martyrdom and she held firm to her faith through the darkness. Taken by other xenos for other reasons, she found humans who needed guidance to find the Emperor's light. She aided them to find that light until she came to us at her end. All the while, she said was that she was taking the Emperor's light into dark places. We do not believe as you do. But she _did_."

He looked at the scout, nodded to the Canoness and turned to go. She stared after him, confused. The scout shook his head.

"We do not believe what you believe. We _will_ not." The scout said quietly. "I owed your sister a debt. The debt is paid. She is home. She died free of the xenos and she died in what you believe is the Emperor's light. Deny it if you wish. I am merely abhuman, beneath your regard. But Sister Superior Agatha Soliari is home. My oath is fulfilled."

" _What_ did you say?" The Canoness demanded. " _What_ name?"

"Agatha Soliari. She called herself Agatha." The scout said softly. "Personally, I believe she felt that she was doing your order a disservice claiming any rank. She was a _credit_ to your order. We have to return to our duty now that this one is done."

"I thank you for this service." The words were stilted as if the Canoness wasn't quite sure how to say them.

"It was an honor to meet her. She did your Order _proud_." The scout nodded to the sisters, turned on his heel and left, the terminator following.

The sisters tracked the Space Marines until they left the area, but the Canoness was staring at the casket. None of the onlookers dared move as tears started falling down her face.

"Canoness?" The sister superior of the squad asked. "Do you wish the casket destroyed?" A gesture and the Multimelta armed sister took aim.

"No." The Canoness said softly, stepped up to it. She touched the metal, her fingers oddly gentle. "We will... investigate this. We will need to know what happened to her, why and how. She was there. I know she was. They had no reason to lie, to say her name if it was someone else. They must have been telling the truth. But... I mourned her with all who were lost with Canoness Agnew. Let us take... _our_ sister to her rest." The Canoness said after a moment.

The Sister Superior nodded slowly and with a gesture, her squad formed up on the casket .A guard of honor. Not many outside the Order knew that _Canoness Karina's_ last name was Soliari.

Her twin _sister's_ name had been Agatha.

* * *

 **A year later**

FAR across the galaxy from Terra

Sister Genni was afraid. Scratch that, she was _terrified_ but she focused past it. To hide her fear, she was singing. The xenos attack on the Rogue Trader ship that she had procured transportation on had been overwhelming. She as young, barely out of her novitiate. When the call had come for her to travel, she had not questioned her orders. The canoness had been clear that the chances of her coming back were slim, but the possibility to take the Emperor's light into a place it wasn't was a sister's dream. She held her boltgun steady though even as the crew of the Rogue Trader shifted in fear around her. She was _not_ going to fail her Order today. The Order of the Lost Rosetta might be small, but they were very devout.

"New contact!" A call came from the bridge even as the foul greenskins pounded on the hatch. " _Tau_ cruiser! Moving to engage the greenskins!"

"They won't help us." Genni was set now, her focus was sure. She took aim at the hatch that was warping under the pressure of the Greenskin assault. "Not against other xenos."

"They _might_." The Captain moved to stand beside her. A storm bolter hung in his hands. She had no idea how the human had procured such a normally restricted weapon and right now? She wasn't going to ask. "We are within Farsight's domain. He does _not_ like the Orks."

"Who _does_?" Genni asked incredulously even as the hatch slammed apart and a _huge_ Greenskin shouldered his way in. She fired without thought, her bolts tracking true, the first one bounding off his crude armor, but the second finding a soft spot before burrowing in and exploding. The Ork gave a cry and fell, but dozens, maybe hundred of the foul things were crowded behind it. "Oh, for a _flamer_!"

Then it was all fire and fury. Genni fired as she had been trained, seeking weak spots in the Ork's crude armor. The roar of the Captain's Storm Bolter cut down at least a dozen Greenskins on the first salvo, but then the brutes rushed close and it was hand to hand. She used bolts, the Sarissa built into her boltgun and her armor gauntlets when everything else proved clumsy. She saw the Captain go down in a horde of Gretchin as Orks piled on. She was pushed to one wall by the green tide and lost count of how many Orks she slew after twenty. They just kept coming. She took hit after hit, the Greenskins piling on her as the other defenders fell one by one. They couldn't get through her blessed armor, not completely, but each hit took its toll of her protection. She was no veteran, but she was Adeptas Sororitas. She would not surrender. And _certainly_ not to _Orks_.

"OY!" A shout had Genni flinching even as the mob of Greenskins withdrew. An Ork even _bigger_ than the first one strode in, idly backhanding a smaller Ork who didn't get out of its way fast enough. "Dat one _mine!_ Uz tough, humie. Ur pretty little 'ead'll look gud on me trophy rack." She could see the helmets of many races attached to said rack.

"Come and take it." Genni tried to put defiance into her tone, but she was exhausted. Her boltgun had _maybe_ six rounds left and her spare magazines were spent.

"Youz got gutz, humie." The Ork laughed with glee as he waved a massive axe that _had_ to weigh as much as she did in full armor if not more. He hefted it with _one hand_. If that hit her, she was dead. "De'll look gud all over the floor."

She did not advance. Instead, she waited, her boltgun ready. As she expected, the Ork gave a loud cry and charged. She dodged to the side, only to realize too late that the cunning Greenskin had faked his charge. She had a moment to see his axe before it hit her. There was no pain, she was just flying. Then she hit and no matter her devotion or determination, she could not hold back a scream. When her head cleared, she stared up as the Greenskin approached, shaking its head.

"Eh, you ain't so tough after all. Just another squishy humie." The Greenskin sounded _disappointed_ as he raised his axe only to freeze as a new sound, one Genni did not know, came. Some kind of gunfire she had never heard before. " _NO!_ "

The huge greenskin spun towards a new threat and Genni raised her boltgun in a trembling hand. Even as her vision greyed, she took aim at a tiny green spot on the back of the Ork's armored head and squeezed the trigger. The recoil sent her screaming into darkness.

* * *

A indeterminate time later

Pain dragged Genni back to reality.

"Easy. Easy." An accented voice speaking Gothic was the first thing that Genni herd. "Sister, easy. You are hurt. We are helping."

Genni forced her eyes open and froze. Her helmet had been removed. The human woman bending over her wore a helmet that looked Imperial, but the chest piece and shoulder armor were anything _but_ Imperial. The woman retreated a little, her hands still full of medical gear. One arm was obviously artificial, but it looked far sleeker and more functional than any Imperium tech could have produced.

"Sister?" The woman asked. "I am Gue'vesa Simons. When Orks were detected in the area, we knew the trader was due. The commanders got worried. We rushed here, hoping to save the ship but we were too late."

"The crew?" Genni asked, her head spinning.

"Only you. We were too late for anyone else. Blasted Orks." Simons said sadly. "We need to move you and you do _not_ want to be conscious for that. This ship is going to break up soon, stupid Orks just rammed it as they always do. You are lucky the whole thing didn't fall apart."

"My... My weapon..." Genni scrabbled for her boltgun and the odd soldier frowned. Genni's fingers found her boltgun even as something went hiss nearby. She was falling before she could drive the Sarissa into her own neck. Her confused and hurt expression had the soldier smiling sadly as Genni lost consciousness.

* * *

"Too close." Simons shook her head as the medical team finished up and loaded heir newest patient onto a gurney for travel back to their ship. The medical bay was already prepared for the battle sister. They had hoped to meet the Rogue Trader, introduce themselves to Genni and then ease her slowly into the role that was _not_ the one that her canoness had proposed. Because of the Orks, they would have to do it the hard way, but gently. "Dammit. I wish the Gue'vesa'ui had made it onto the Manta in time. She always makes it look so _easy_. No one tries to suicide when _she_ does it."

"You did well." The Shas'La in charge of the breaching team that had accompanied her said with a nod as the team of Fire Warriors and human auxiliaries formed up to return to their Manta. "The Gue'la is alive."

"Wasn't supposed to show the Gue'vesa armor if I encountered Space Marines or Sisters." Simons griped. "Boss is going to have my _head_. Didn't think the woman would wake with such a dent in her helmet." She picked up the Sister's helmet and shook her head at the indention in it. A hairsbreadth deeper and Genni wouldn't have had a brain left in her skull. "We will need to scan her for brain injuries before anything else."

"Already ordered." The Shas'La said with a grunt. Simons shrugged as she and her team followed. As they passed the warboss, the Tau field commander shook his head. "Nice shot."

Indeed, apparently the Ork had turned its back on the Sister of Battle for just a moment too long. A small hole shone in the back of its skull and what brains such a beast possessed were scattered everywhere from the bolt that had penetrated a tiny weak spot on its cranium. The vulnerable area was less than a handbreadth wide. With the Warboss down, the Tau and Gue'Vesa team had faced little organized resistance.

There was nothing else to do on the doomed vessel, so as the other teams retreated in order to the hangar bay where they had landed, Simons' team escorted the gurney into the cavernous Missile Destroyer that severed as their mobile base of operation. There Simons had a surprise.

"Mira!" Simons inhaled as the hover gurney moved to its designated slot and a team of Tau medical drones hovered ready for their newest patient. "When did you arrive?"

"On the second Manta." The Gue'vesa'ui wore no helmet here. She smiled at Simons, but it faded as the soldier would not meet her eyes. "Stop blaming yourself for what happened to me." The dark haired human said sharply as she strode to where Simons' team were racking their weapons beside the Fire Warriors they had been assigned to. " _Nothing_ that happened was _your_ fault." Simons would not meet her eyes and Mira sighed. "Do you need another talk with the Por'El?"

"No!" Simons said quickly. She didn't like the Tau. Not at all. She worked with them, because she had little _choice_. She did not resist as her second in command took hold of one arm and Mira took hold of another. "I..."

"It is not your fault, Simons. None of it is." Mira looked into her subordinate's eyes and frowned. "Crap! Mi'ria! Simons has had another episode." A blue skinned form stepped from the swarm of drones towards them and Simons started to struggle. Her face was Tau, but was also somewhat like Mira's. Stood to reason, she had started from the same DNA. Finding out that now there were _two_ of Mira had been a _hell_ of a shock for a _lot_ of people. Agatha hadn't explained what she had done and Mira had been a mess for some time after. The Tau hadn't expected it either, but they had adapted. "Simons! The Emperor _protects_. _Calm._ "

The human slumped in the hands that held her even as the Tau stepped close, her face sad.

"No!" Simons begged as Mi'ria produced something that whirred. "No! Don't make me _forget_! I don't want to _forget_!" She couldn't move as the Tau placed the device in front of her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, but the energy from the device wouldn't be stopped by puny flesh.

"It is not your fault, Simons." Mi'ria's voice was so like Mira's but gentler. After a great deal of discussion, she had been inducted into the Water Caste and Por'El Salierra was her mentor. She also worked as a liaison of sorts between the Water Caste, the Earth Caste and humans like Mira. She heaved a very human sigh. "We should not have let you go into combat. The stress was too much. Calm, Simons. It is not your fault. We will make it better. You will have a place."

" _No!_ " Simons screamed, struggling in the hands that held her now. Fruitlessly. "No! _Don't_! I want to remember who I am! I want... to..." Her voice trailed off and her face lost all expression. Tears were falling unremarked.

Mira and Mi'ria led Simons now unresisting form to a seat as the Manta's engines rumbled, signaling their departure from the doomed human ship. There, they strapped the dazed human in and Mi'ria sat beside her, working her device. She produced a soft cloth to wipe Simon's face with as she worked. Mira turned to the Fire Warriors and moved to sit with them.

"Anything new to report?" Mira asked.

"No." The Shas'La replied evenly. "She did very well. She will be missed." Mira looked at where Simons was sitting and shook her head. "I don't like it either, Gue'vesa'ui."

"No one _does_ , Shas'La." Mira hated parts of her job. Not the least of which was when her Gue'vesa failed the Greater Good through no fault of their own. "Of all the humans who came with me, she was the _only_ one who was still capable of combat. We should have known that she was still stressed. She hid it so well." The Shas'La just looked at her and Mira bowed her head. "I know. I will prepare a full report."

"Mother." Mi'ria's voice held worry mixed with affection. "I am sorry. I thought she was ready." Mira patted the seat beside her and the Tau that looked sort of like her sat.

"So did I." Mira admitted. "She will serve in another way. We all find our place. I had just hoped... We need more Gue'vesa'ui. I thought she could handle it, but it was too much."

"Even if she cannot _fight_ , she has a place in the Greater Good. They will be kind to her, Mother." Mi'ria said softly as she laid her head on Mira's armored shoulder. Mira smiled and held her daughter as the Manta's engines rumbled, taking them home.

"I know." Mira felt tears start to fall as Mi'ria held her. "But it won't be _her_. She was the only one who made it through and now... I have lost her too. It is hard, daughter."

"I know." Mi'ria said sadly as she too fought tears.

No one, not a single human or Tau, had expected what had happened. No one possessed _any_ explanation as to why Mira had emerged from her stasis pod in a hospital on the Enclave world of Vior'losas a human, but six weeks _pregnant_ with a non-human child! It _had_ to be a result of the Ethereals' experimental drug and/or Agatha's touch, but no one could figure out _why_ it had happened. The Fio'El was banned from Mira's presence for life for his crime against her and Mira was only too happy to stay far away from him. The former human soldier's mind had been whole, but the child had been born with almost all of Mira's knowledge if not the experience to _use_ said knowledge. The shock of _that_ had nearly unhinged Mira, but in the end, she had accepted the love of her daughter.

"We will need to be careful, Mi'ria." Mira said after a moment. "Sisters of Battle are dangerous. But if we can duplicate what was done with Agatha, we might earn a powerful ally."

"I have already notified the Por'El. She is preparing things as we speak." The Tau that was her daughter released Mira and scrutinized her. "You haven't been sleeping enough."

" _One_ of you mothering me is bad _enough_ , Mi'ria." Mira complained. "I swear, the Por'El is going to be feeding me out of a _bottle_ next!"

"Only if you _make_ her." Mi'ria said with a smirk. Mira glared at her and the Tau around them chuckled.

Mira had to smile at her daughter. The future was opening up and they would meet it together.

For the Emperor _and_ the Greater Good.

* * *

A Deep Space Rendezvous

"I regret the decision." Marneus Calgar was a very busy man, but he had made time for _this_ meeting. "But in the end, we have little choice. The answer must be 'No'."

"Our reputation has tarnished us." The Blood Raven who stood in front of him said with a shake of his head. Gabriel Angelos wasn't happy, but he rarely was these days. "I had hoped, but I do understand."

"We can continue the joint training if you wish." Calgar offered. "We are sending several companies to a planet called Arkhona. Orks and Eldar are present there along with larger numbers of traitors. We do not know why as of yet, but whatever it is, cannot be good."

"Perhaps a squad or two." The Blood Raven offered. "But we too have been ordered to show strength on an outlying world. Eldar and Orks have been sighted on Acheron for no reason that any Imperial can say and both leaders are known to us. An Eldar Farseer named Macha and the Ork Gorgutz." Calgar nodded, but his gaze was far away. "Chapter Master Calgar?"

"Ultramarine records go back a long way." Calgar said slowly. "There are records stored on Maccrage that predate the Emperor's ascension to his throne." The Blood Raven nodded and Calgar continued. "While contemplating your proposal, I perused those records. I found this." He held out a scroll to the Blood Raven who took it gingerly. ""That was the only copy and I have no idea how it got in there. It wasn't supposed to exist." The Blood Raven stared at the scroll and then at the Ultramarine who shrugged. "Yes, I looked. And no, no one _else_ will ever hear such from _me_. I thought I knew what secrets were. You..." The Chapter Master of the Ultramarines sounded awed now. " _Ten thousand years_. Loyal to the Emperor, _not_ your Primarch. I _thought_ I knew what honor was, Blood Raven. Your Chapter's devotion has _humbled_ me. And _no one_ can know."

"It can never be spoken of on pain of death. Just as we are barred from _ever_ returning to Terra." The Blood Raven said softly. "But thank you. We cannot ever acknowledge the Primarch from whom our geneseeds came. We will be loyal to the Emperor as he _should_ have been."

"All these millennia, hiding the truth. The fact that a _black shield_ of all people, formed a loyal group from his renegade legion to _fight_ his Primarch... A group that became a chapter." Calgar said with a shake of his head. "A hard task, but you are up to it. Knowledge _is_ power."

"We guard it well." The Chapter Master of the Blood Ravens said firmly.

* * *

 **And done. I try to keep my fanfictions 60k words or 20 posts. It keeps things from getting too stagnant or crazy.**

 **I always wondered WHY Kyras disliked ANY contact with the Black Legion so much in Dawn of War II Chaos Rising and Retribution. It makes sense if the Lunar Wolves Legion (also known as the Sons of Horus) is where the Blood Ravens originally CAME from. The Legion that changed into the Black Legion after Horus fell. And no, they wouldn't want ANYONE to know that their Primarch was Horus. That their chapter had been created by a renegade from that legion to FIGHT him. Wouldn't end well for ANYONE. Hence why Eliphas was so amused by the Blood Ravens in Dark Crusade and Chaos Rising.**

 **Some thought the Thousand Sons were a better match, due to the abundance of psykers in the Blood Raven ranks and it is possible, but the Sons of Horus had a lot of them too. I just think the Black Legion would be more than a bit annoyed if one of THEIRS wound up founding the Blood Ravens.**

 **This was just my own imagining, but I think it fits. Neatly answers a LOT of questions about them, doesn't it?  
**

 **I hope you all enjoyed this.**

 **For the Greater Good of the Enclaves,**

 **Out.**


End file.
